Pets

Kids movies continue to swarm into the theaters, and Hollywood's trailer editors have been hard at work baiting us in. With Disney owning the box office this summer, Illumination Entertainment (the creators of Despicable Me) are taking a shot at the box office run. This weekend we got The Secret Life Of Pets, a movie that has been highly anticipated since it's trailer debut from so long ago. It was indeed a very entertaining trailer, but we all know how trailers can be deceptive now don't we? So I have headed into the trenches again to report on the latest film to hit the silver screen.

The GOOD • Cute/Kid Friendly • Funny • Good animation

When you watch, or for many rewatch, the trailers you most likely saw the characters as cute, cuddly animals doing hilarious things. Good news! The trailer is accurate this time and provides the cute factor you expected (including the very scenes you saw in the trailer). All of the characters are adorable, the main ones being bouncy, fluffy, high-spirited animals that will make you want to say Awwwwww. Our design team found a way to maximize all the cute features of an animal and sell it to the families that will lead to merchandising. Even animals you wouldn't think cute (like snakes, gators, and lizards) get the cuddly personifications. Hopefully you have gathered from this, that the design is kid friendly and will have your little ones enamored.

But cute is only the hook, what keeps the interest going in this film? The answer is the comedy of course. The stunts the animals pull are entertaining and the dialogue itself had me chuckling at many of the media references. Voice acting only helps sell the comedy more, especially Kevin Hart and all his high pitched screaming. Your kids though will be the ones to enjoy the comedy the most though, as it is slapstick, simplistic antics with digital pets. Running into walls, making funny faces, or going to the bathroom on the floor are just some of the things you will see that had toddlers chuckling in their seats.

And a small bonus, that really shouldn't be a surprise, is that the animation is good. Illumination Entertainment certainly has their anatomy and physiology down being able to superimpose human qualities while still maintaining there animal qualities. Glad to know that our animation studios are still able to produce great works. If only they could have put that effort into the next few qualities.

THE BAD • The Story • Lack of Uniqueness • Trailers showed you a lot of the movie

With the comedy and animation being the obvious focus, you have to wonder how the story fared in this movie. Unfortunately…it didn't fare that well. Oh it's not that bad at all, but the problem is that it lacks anything memorable or emotionally driving for me. The writers crammed a lot of plots into a short 90 minutes run time, and the resulting production was a very rushed, shallow tale with little development. A split focus resulted in little emotional build-up, and there was no intriguing qualities to keep my attention on any of the cast. And the goal they were trying to achieve was very limited and didn't really set any time limit or urgency to the tale.

To add more fuel to that fire, The Secret Life of Pets wasn't really that unique of a movie. We've had talking pet movies before, where anthropomorphic animals traverse a city or town that often involves a very extreme villain (think Oliver and Company or Homeward Bound). Those tales stick home because they had edge, depth, and moments that stick out in your mind. Not the case with this movie, as again there was no drive to make our pets grow, develop, or even go through much struggle at all. It doesn't have any twists to mix things up either, and therefore leaves little to spoilt. In addition, much of the movie, including a lot of the funny parts, is revealed in the three trailers out and therefore you can save yourself some major bucks by just rewatching all of the trailers. Yeah, I know that is definitely a disappointing factor.

The Verdict

The Secret Life Of Pets is exactly what the trailer promises, fun, entertaining, and wildly adorable. Younger audience members, as well as those very young at heart, are the target group for this movie hands down. It has the laugh factor certainly, and the cast of characters are a motley crew that I certainly enjoyed. However, the story is very simplistic, the lack of emotional suspense, and that much of the movie is told in the trailers make this movie not the most memorable of the summer. I can't say it is worth a trip to the theater in comparison to some of the other kid movies, but it makes for a good family outing.

My scores are:

Animation/Comedy/Family: 7.5-8.0 Movie Overall: 7.0

Not a great film, but a very enjoyable one.

Starting with 'The Secret Life of Pets', while much of the story is charming, beautifully paced without feeling rushed and entertaining, it does run out of steam in the final third where it does drag a bit and feels overstretched.

While the lead characters are likable and interesting, there are too many characters, which are not as fleshed out and some of them not in the film enough to make impact, and the film feels over-populated as a result.

And while a vast majority of the film is incredibly entertaining, not all the jokes work in the final third, being not as well-timed and being a bit too obvious and childish.

However, 'The Secret Life of Pets' is beautifully and vibrantly animated, love the rich colours, meticulously rich backgrounds and the well-modelled character designs. The music score is whimsical and lively.

'The Secret Life of Pets' is also very wittily and often hilariously scripted, some of the best lines coming from Snowball, and there are some neat references to 'Grease', 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Some Like it Hot.' As said, much of the story is charming with enough of the entertainment factor.

Lastly the voice acting is pretty terrific, Kevin Hart, Albert Brooks and Steve Coogan coming off best.

Overall, there is much to enjoy in 'The Secret Life of Pets', though it is more a good film than a great one. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Let's face it, we as pet owners have always wondered what our furry friends are up to when we're not home. It's an idea that has been played around with for years, from Tom and Jerry to Phineas and Ferb. As ideas go, it isn't original, but the possibilities it can bring are endless. When Illumination Entertainment, the French animation studio behind monster hits such as Despicable Me and Minions (the first non-Disney animated film to earn a billion worldwide) launched a teaser trailer documenting the mischief pets get up to, curiosities were peaked. The world cried in unison; what does this animation studio think pets do? We already have pets as spies, pets being obsessive compulsive mouse hunters, and pets finding their way home. There is still so much one can do with this age old trope, if one is clever enough. What we got, is a beautifully animated flick with plenty of humour and good spirits that packs too much into its run time that has good intentions, despite borrowing heavily from a certain 1990s film.

The film opens with our protagonist, Max (Louis C.K.), a Jack Russell Terrier living in New York City with his owner, Katie. Max, like any terrier, is full of beans and love for his master; Illumination got the happy go lucky attitude of the Jack Russell down perfectly. They also got the territorial side, for when Katie brings home a Newfoundland mix named Duke (Eric Stonestreet), Max is less than impressed. Not wanting his perfect life torn upside down by the hairy interloper, Max tries his darndest to get rid of him, leading, of course, to the pair getting whisked away by the pound when Duke tries to dispose of Max. Naturally, the pooches must cope with each other and find their way home, but not without obstacles; underneath the belly of NYC is an underground secret society of abandoned and unwanted animals, led by the not so cuddly rabbit, Snowball (Kevin Hart). Due to accidentally offing a valuable member of the society, Snowball and his henchmen swear vengeance on our furry duo. While all this madness is afoot, a Pomeranian named Gidget, who has a major crush on Max, enlists the help of all their animal neighbours to save him.

The main issue of the film, and it's a biggie, is that it's Toy Story with pets. There's no sugar coating it. The main species has a social circle that their owners aren't aware of. The main character loves his owner so much, and is insanely jealous when they bring home someone new. When one is trying to get rid of the other, they end up far away from home, and have to find their way back. They even have elements of Toy Story 2 and 3; friends coming together to find the main character, and a seemingly cute antagonist causing chaos. The only real original element is that the animals have their own language; they don't harbour the ability to speak to humans. Despite this, the film isn't a dud. By now, you've already heard from many sources about the parallels with Toy Story, and, if you're open minded, can enjoy the film for what it is; a slapstick comedy with talking animals. It doesn't remove the issue, but it allows one to see the effort the creators put in to the rest of the film.

The animation is fantastic; the textures and anatomy of the animals, while stylised, is still very true to what it represents. The look and feel of New York is large in scale and immensely colourful. The characters look like they have weight to them, that despite their cartoony appearance, they could be real animals. The characters are likable and cute, with the actors making them sound like they are animals; in better terms, you believe they are animals, not animals being voiced by humans. I don't know how they managed that, but they did.

What little character development is present it given to Max and Duke, with the latter having a genuinely heartbreaking moment which is sadly glanced over, and thrown aside. There is so much life and likability here. The only issue with character, is that there's too many to remember, and not enough time to get to know them. It's a good thing when you want to see more of the characters, but it also gives glaring warning signs: an inevitable sequel. Or perhaps, that may be a good thing. For this film, despite its flaws, seems like it could be the precursor to a creative franchise. There is so much that can be done with these characters, and with this world, that a sequel would be welcomed. The only issue is, would it be milked to the death like the poor Minions?

The jokes are mostly funny, with some misses; there is a jab at YouTube cat videos that will forever be relevant, and the metal loving poodle is amazing. The little quirks that the animators and actors gave the animals are fantastic, such as the dogs having short attention spans, and the cat sitting in too small containers. There's a lot for pet owners to relate to, especially in the ending.

It may be a mixed bag, but it's a good, likable one. The Secret Life of Pets had potential to be amazing, and still has potential to become a creative, lasting franchise. This beautiful film is plenty of bark, with little bite. If you leave without a smile on your face, then you were clearly neutered.

Rating: B2

I start this review by first acknowledging there's nothing wrong with this film from a family-oriented entertainment point of view. It's colorful, it's fun at times, provides a positive message about acceptance and provides a clever enough high concept to keep the kids on their keesters for 80 minutes. As a rudimentary children's film, you certainly can do worse.

The problem with The Secret Lives of Pets stems from its complete inability to marry story, character and concept into a discernible package. As it stands, the film is rushed, bulky and is chalked full of nonsensical choices that cripples any verdant ideas that could have been. It's a first draft; not a final product.

The story begins with a happy Jack Russell Terrier named Max (C.K.) who lives with his owner Katie (Kemper) in a surprisingly roomy Manhattan apartment. Things change drastically and suddenly with the arrival of Duke (Stonestreet) a large, shaggy Newfoundland whose introduced as a "new brother" to Max's chagrin. They, of course don't get along and after a series of confrontations find themselves lost. The first to notice they're missing is a lovestruck Pomeranian named Gidget (Slate) who recruits the rest of Max's friends among others to recover them from the vast streets of New York City.

The rest of Max's friends are barely worth mentioning as they're mostly utilized to push the buttons and pull the levers on some uninspired comedic set-pieces. They're not really useful to the plot, nor do they succeed in being the Toy Story (1995)-inspired resilient and diverse gaggle the movie hopes they are. Part of the reason for this is none of the side characters actually solve any problems. They jet here, they jet there but when faced with any obstacles they just seem to rush it. Gone is the creativity of having Mr. Potato Head fashion a new body out of a tortilla; now we have elderly Basset Hound, Pops (Carvey) hobbling through construction sites with stalwart confidence.

Frankly focusing on the story's tagged-on villains might have paid more dividends. The broad machinations of Snowball (Hart), a bunny with delusions of grandeur are easily the best part of the film, even if they remain painfully underdeveloped. Additionally his "Flushed Pets" group could have complicated Duke's allegiance to his new owner or more easily pegged Max as a fully socialized pet and therefore in need of re-education. Snowball was the best chance the movie had in getting audiences to truly know the characters we're supposed to be rooting for but instead they blew it on prolonged chase sequences and a sausage factory bit that goes absolutely nowhere.

And that gets me to the biggest problem I have with this film; the creators' approach to the high concept itself. The film tries to have its cake and eat it to, portraying characters with innately human characteristics but still clinging to the charming pet-like idiosyncrasies we know and love about our furry friends. For example, Gidget recruits the help of Tiberius (Brooks) a hawk who at first tries to eat her. She barely escapes his talons only to trust him once more because that's just what a peppy little dog would do. Max's friends Mel (Moynihan) and Buddy (Buress) don't even notice Max is gone because, being dogs, they're distracted by butterflies and squirrels. They're certainly not a rag-tag group of lovable rogues, they're a confederacy of dunces, successful only because of the ever changing allegiances of the main antagonist. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention Snowball at one point joins forces with Max to save Duke in a climactic sequence so blithely unnatural it renders the friends search and rescue completely moot.

This film is a rushed, characterless, flavorless kids film that just barely stretches its plot over the skeleton of its story structure. As I said before, if all you're looking for is a bland and forgettable family film, you could do worse. Yet provided it's appealing concept, you'd really think the animation studio that made Despicable Me (2010) could do better.

Fun fact: I met the universe of movie critics with The Secret Life of Pets. It was 2018, I was on holidays, my dog was hospitalised (she has been neutered), and I had nothing to do. So, I logged in Netflix, and watched this film. After that, "coincidentally", YouTube recommended me a review of this film. The guy was charismatic, and coincidentally, I went to the theatre to watch Aquaman on that same weekend. And obviously, after the session. I went back to that guy's channel (Otávio Ugá, from Super Oito, who's my favourite movie critic until today). After that, I started to follow cinema tirelessly.

Okay, this is a movie review, not a life story. And writing this text is something similar with what I did when I wrote my review of Interstellar. No influence of great memories or movie critics. And surprisingly, my opinion here didn't go as down as Nolan's film. I honestly think this movie is still good.

Yes, it's a Toy Story "rip-off"; yes, some of the jokes have aged badly; and yes, the screenplay is generic and lacks polish; but the characters are still charismatic, 70 to 80% of the jokes still work, and the soundtrack is spectacular (Alexandre Desplat, I can't expect less from a two-time Academy Award winner).

It's a simplistic argument, I know that, but I can't disagree, and I used it to talk about MicMacs, Jackass, and even Thor: Ragnarok; as The Secret Life of Pets is a comedy, its primary objective is being funny, and WOW, it's hilarious. Jenny Slate is an incredible voice actress, as I said before, I can't imagine another actor but Eric Stonestreet as Duke, Albert Brooks, Dana Carvey, Lake Bell and Hannibal Buress (Chloe and Buddy are fantastic) are also excellent, and I changed my mind about Louis CK. I used to not like his job as Max, as I still prefer the voice from the second film, but he fits the Jack Russell more than I thought (also, I don't see him anymore as a coadjuvant of his own story).

And now, an opinion that goes against the majority. All non-Brazilian reviews I've seen have slammed Kevin Hart's job as Snowball, the psycho bunny. To my mind, he's by far the best character. He has the best arc, the script knows exactly how to work with him, Kevin Hart's performance is passionate, and I still think he deserves a solo film.

I can't not recommend this movie. It's far from perfect, it's even far from great, but if you don't have anything to do and need a comedy of quality to pass the time, The Secret Life of Pets is a nice afternoon session, and it's another movie that I'm finally in peace with.