“The Secret Life of Pets” is not a flawless film and those who study structure will point to the lagging in the film’s middle act and its desire to overcompensate with 3D chase scenes.
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Visually, Pets is gorgeous, giving the audience a small animal’s perspective of the city, all looming skyscrapers in the distance and cozy apartment houses up close, as well as some wonderfully silly Looney Tunes-esque cartoon shenanigans.
The Secret Life of Pets has been rated PG for action and some rude humor.
Specifically, Max and Duke wind up on the street together – lost, without their collars and desperate to get back to a NY skyline that has seldom looked more shimmering. When it turns into a chase-adventure film, it’s not as successful.
Many of us who own pets have often wondered what our cats and dogs do all day when we leave for work. He’s grown to love his master knowing she will come home from wherever she goes every day so he can enjoy her company. But though the idea may not be wholly unique, director Chris Renaud, who co-directed the two “Despicable Me” movies, and his co-director Yarrow Cheney, pull the idea off successfully, playing an old tune with a slightly new sound.
After series of being held by the Animal Control, escaping them and being held again, it was time for Max and Duke’s troop to rally and bring them back to where they truly belong. Alas, Snowball is the leader of The Flushed Pets who has an agenda to seek revenge on all humans who desert their pets. Their relationship changes when Duke tricks Max into slipping away from their dog walker, and it’s up to Max’s friends – led by Gidget (Jenny Slate), a spirited Pomeranian, and Chloe (Lake Bell), a gluttonous cat – to track them down. And a trio of odd pups voiced by Dana Carvey, Bobby Moynihan, and Hannibal Buress all have their moments.
As a pet owner, I was delighted by aspects of this flick. But it leads to a question: What are they going to do with the rest of the film?
But like a dog that’s just seen a squirrel or a butterfly (the subject of a couple of overplayed jokes in the movie), The Secret Life of Pets never lingers too long on that weightier topic – or on any topic, really. Pets has its share of quirky animals by the truckload and you’ll sure find one to be fond of, but it doesn’t get waylaid by overdoing the cuteness and balancing it with some rather real threats. But Illumination Entertainment seeks to continue its rise with its version of talking pets, and by proving it can do an animated film without any minions, not counting the ones in the opening short. Even so, I suspected this single teaser trailer was probably just the first couple minutes of the movie. And occasionally its slapdash energy even approaches genius.
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But while a film about a Louis C.K. -type dog plotting against his boring roommate could still be a hoot, The Secret Life of Pets quickly ditches its frenemy premise and sets these two loose in the big city, where they bond exclusively by surviving a series of madcap adventures.
