The Secret Life of Pets: Movie Review
What are your pets up to once you leave home? The new animated feature “The Secret Life of Pets” attempts to answer that question in the most unrealistic way possible, and I am totally on board. Although not up to par with “Zootopia”, which was released earlier this year, “The Secret Life of Pets” is still quite enjoyable and has a handful of laugh out loud moments.
Max (Louis C.K.) is a terrier with a great life with his owner Katie (Kellie Kemper). She is his world and nothing can come between them. That is until Katie brings home a giant stray named Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Max is not too happy about the new addition to the home and a war begins to brew between the two dogs. Not before long, Max and Duke find themselves deep in the heart of the city where they have a run-in with not only a gang of cats but also Animal Control. They manage to escape the Animal Control vehicle thanks to the aid of a white rabbit named Snowball (Kevin Hart). In exchange for the rescue, they must go down to the sewers and join Snowballs cult of abandoned pets.
In the mean time Max’s friends Chloe the cat (Lake Bell), Mel (Bobby Moynihan), and Buddy (Hannibal Buress) scour the city looking for him. Gidget (Jenny Slate), who is in love with Max, recruits a hawk called Tiberius (Albert Brooks) to help with the search. Once Snowball realizes that Max and Duke lied about not being pets, he orders them to be taken out. Thankfully, Max’s friends found him before Snowball got his way.
“The Secret Life of Pets” is fast paced and filled with great voice talent. Dana Carvey is also in the mix as a senior K9 named Pops. I absolutely loved Lake Bell’s Chloe and Jenny Slate’s Gidget was darn adorable. Easily my favorite scenes in the film are during the opening moments when we are being introduced to each pet, but that doesn’t mean things go downhill from there. In the film’s funniest moment, Chloe has a bit of an accident on a party snack table, and video of it winds up online. Kids are going to love “The Secret Life of Pets” and chances are parents won’t be bored. To me, that is a win.
By: Marc Ferman
