'The Secret Life of Pets': Won't be Secret Fur Long
While "The Secret Life of Pets" isn't quite "Lady and the Tramp" (1955), I've no problem mentioning the two kiddy flicks in the same sentence. Both are proof positive that you can learn a lot from the animals, especially the cartoon variety if they're as lovable as Max, a Jack Russell terrier voiced here by Louis C.K.
A contemporary variation of the iconic Tramp, who resisted domestication until romance curtailed his wanderlust, this Manhattanite is dedicated to hearth, condo and his master, Katie (Ellie Kemper).
When asked one morning by Gidget, the white Pomeranian next door who secretly loves him, if he had plans today, Max informs: "Yes, big, big stuff today, Gidget. I got big plans. I'm gonna sit here and wait for Katie to come back." Thus it seems like completely unforgivable treason when Katie returns that evening with Duke, a big, fluffy brown mongrel she's rescued from the shelter. He is to be Max's "brother." Huh? Max's world is torn asunder. It was Max and Katie, Katie and Max. And now, there's this interloper, and a brute to boot.
Hence the PG-rated stage is set for one of Meghan and Connor's first lessons in human relations, delivered by adorably animated critters who speak only when there are no people around. While we've always suspected it, as the title alludes they have their very own world, with different members of their furry or feathered set representing the various personality types comprising our own species. There is the optimist, the pessimist, the romantic, etc., etc., and, in the case of Chloe, who couldn't care less when Max goes missing, the self-centered fat cat.
Of course, Gidget, the story's fluffy Jean d'Arc forever extolling the comeliness of her clandestinely beloved, is beside herself and, with the unexpected help of Tiberius, a grumpy hawk comically verbalized by Albert Brooks, organizes a search party. Unbeknownst to her, Max and his new roomie, inopportunely separated from their indolent dogwalker's care, are off on the adventure of their lives, a rollicking, sociologically pungent escapade full of fur-raising hijinks. Eventually pursued by the dog catcher, it's a mixed blessing when they are saved by Snowball, a little white bunny.
Don't be fooled by Snowball's cute, diminutive appearance. Vocalized with street cred bravado by Kevin Hart, the little gangsta is essentially a revolutionary and the leader of an underground organization of discarded animals euphemistically known as "The Flushed Pets." They are hell-bent on getting back at the human race for betraying their fealty. A ranting-and-raving presence of raging vitriol, Snowball's tantrum-like diatribes were put in perspective when one astute tyke in the audience, perhaps a future psychiatrist, exclaimed, "He's a psychopath!" I was impressed.
But the telling factor in estimating this film's worth as regards its target audience is the cheerfulness and laughter it produced. My two or three previous forays into the genre had me worrying that the future generation, perhaps inundated with the preponderance of Silicon Valley-induced 1's and 0's, had their collective funny bones dulled. Hardly a peep emanated. It was sci-fi scary. So a sigh of relief came when this apparently bright group of moppets laughed wholeheartedly and even clapped in appreciation as the closing credits rolled.
Almost as important among my evaluating tasks, which I swore to diligently perform way back in graduation ceremonies at Olde Ivy Film Criticism College, Dr. Halberstadter looking on with pride and disbelief is whether the film in question plays on both adult and kiddy levels. Happily, it does ... making it Nanny and Pop-Pop approved. This is welcome duty. Furthermore, pet lovers, even if unbeset with whether or not to take Courtney and Beckett to the movies, are sure to enjoy the film's funny and psychologically astute celebration of our partnership with the fuzzy faction.
Smart dialogue by a gaggle of witty writers melds nicely with the derring-do our little heroes and heroines encounter, peppered with enough headlong tumult and colorfully kaleidoscopic skirmishing to keep the not-quite-ready rug rat engaged. Only a slowdown at the three-quarter mark, when all the action bottlenecks before heading into the windup, detracts from the overall, estimable flow. Otherwise, delightful personification, spearheaded by Louis C.K.'s Max, the everyman of the dog world, assures a pleasant buoyancy.
Other fine characterizations are articulated by Eric Stonestreet as Duke, Jenny Slate as Gidget, and Lake Bell as Chloe. Confirming their instant popularity, rest assured that stuffed homages to the whiskered personae will be flying off the shelves, and engender phone calls from thoughtful aunts asking, "Does she have Gidget yet?" All of which suggests that the cat, as well as the dog, are out of the bag as regards the tail-wagging joy to be had by uncovering "The Secret Life of Pets."
"The Secret Life of Pets," rated PG, is a Universal Pictures release directed by Yarrow Cheney and Chris Renaud and stars the voices of Louis C.K., Jenny Slate and Kevin Hart. Running time: 87 minutes
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