Film: The Secret Life of Pets

The Secret Life of Pets follows Max, a small dog voiced by Louis C.K., who suddenly finds his life changed by the arrival of a second dog, Duke (Eric Stonestreet). After an argument the two dogs become lost and hunted by crazy bunny Snowball (Kevin Hart) and his gang. It’s up to Max’s friends to find the dogs and bring them home.

The film’s story doesn’t feel particularly original with little being done to really separate it from what we’ve seen before. Sadly, Max and Duke’s relationship doesn’t develop realistically throughout the film, the pair suddenly switching from hatred to helping each other out without any real bonding being established. While we’re supposed to believe the journey they’ve gone through has helped them become best friends at film’s end, the actual story doesn’t really do the legwork to get there.

It doesn’t really help that neither of the main characters feel very well developed, lacking many interesting traits. The supporting cast are much more interesting, showcasing more personality, quirk and charm. It feels like more time has been spent on these characters, with each of Max’s friends feeling unique. Neurotic Gidget would make a much more exciting lead, the lovelorn dog who unites Max’s friends to track him down.

While the story feels recycled, the jokes are mostly fresh with quite a few laugh out loud moments present throughout. Lake Bell is particularly funny as Chloe, the cat who hates everything. Her deadpan delivery is effective, while keeping the character from going too over the top. Pops (Dana Carvey), the aging wheelchair pound dog, is another great addition, many of his lines had me in stitches.

Snowball and his gang deliver a fair few laughs, though at times they’re a bit too ridiculous. They also fail to feel like a realistic threat to Max’s mission to get home, mostly due to the decision to make them more laughable than terrifying. Kevin Hart’s Snowball also suffers from an all too common problem – all his best parts are shown in the trailers.

Despite an all too familiar, slightly disappointing plot, The Secret Life of Pets does deliver with its comedy, keeping the film enjoyable throughout. It’s a shame that Max and Duke don’t feel like well-rounded characters, particularly as the supporting cast are such a delight. The film could have benefitted from a change of focus, shifting the two leads into the background a bit more. Nonetheless, this is still another triumph from Illumination Studios, who have perhaps created a franchise worthy of standing alongside Despicable Me.

[Originally published on culturefly.co.uk]