The Secret Life of Pets

Have you ever wondered what your pets do when you are away from home? I think my cats invite the neighborhood squirrels over and binge watch Court TV. Plus it explains why I always lose my favorite book or shoes or the remote. So really, what are my cats doing when my wife and I are at work?

  Well, The Secret Life of Pets seeks to answer that age old question and I think that the minds behind the film did a pretty good job tackling it.

  In the city that never sleeps, when their owners are away, the family pet will play. But in the case of Max, a lovable short hair puppy voiced by Louis CK, he sits in front of his apartment door waiting for his owner Katie to return. But his blissful paradise is turned upside down when Katie returns home one day from the pound with a giant brown shaggy dog named Duke (Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet). It's not a smooth transition for the two and one day at the dog park, the two canines get into a massive fight and wind up lost in the Big Apple. Managing to lose their collars and being snatched up by animal control, the two rivals must work together if they have any hope of getting back home to their master Katie.

   Pets was a very cute film that had quite a few laughs. I could've done without the potty humor, which was surprisingly graphic. In the past, movies like this (involving lost pets) get really sappy and sad. The Secret Life of Pets thankfully isn't a tearjerker. It also was pretty unique and I didn't feel like I had seen it before. However, the main story of Max and Duke wasn't the most interesting part of the movie- it's all of the supporting players that made this film worth watching.

The laughs come primarily from Kevin Hart who voices a psychotic bunny who wants to see the overthrow of the human race and his gang of 'flushed’ pets. The pets from Max's apartment who conduct a rescue mission also garnered a lot of laughs, especially the very plump feline Chloe, portrayed by Man Up's Lake Bell.

   The Secret Life Of Pets was produced by Illumination Entertainment, the company behind the Despicable Me franchise. Be sure to get to the cinemas a little early as a short featuring those pesky yellow minions proceeds the feature. Mower Minions has the tiny helpers trying to raise money for a new blender by providing yard work for their neighbors. It was very silly but enjoyable none the less.

  Overall, I had a fun time at the movies today. The film's been out for 2 weeks already and the 2 pm showing I went to was almost sold out! Very impressive. I've been to blockbuster superhero movies on opening day and the theatre wasn't even full of enough patrons to man a baseball team. So give it a view and find out just what does happen in the secret lives of man's best friends.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 8 out of 10 stars