This might be something that passes by the younger crowd – although to be fair many of the kids in my screening appeared bored and restless – but, it'll likely bum out other viewers. Like 'Minions,' 'The Secret Life of Pets' thinks it can coast by on superficiality. None of them are new and witty, so instantly the movie's best jokes are old. At least then the filmmakers wouldn't feel tied down to a recognizable story structure.Įvery one of the funny pet-home-alone asides we do get to see have already been played ad nauseam on the trailers. Like a modernized version of Aardman Animation's 'Creature Comforts' series. It would've almost been better off continuing on the same route the movie's marketing took and strung together various vignettes of jokes about pets at home alone. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about 'The Secret Life of Pets' is that it attempts to tell a straightforward story. Kind of like that old visual gag where the biggest, scariest guy in the gang is named Tiny. It's simply supposed to be funny that he's cute and fluffy and also wants to kill everyone. The problem with Snowball though, is that he isn't given any nuance to make him interesting. Snowball curiously looks exactly like the bunny from Pixar's short film 'Presto.' Another coincidence, I'm sure. The bunny, who is ironically given the cute name of Snowball (Kevin Hart) leads a band of unwanted pets on a crusade against humankind. Subsequently, this provides for less than satisfying conflict resolution.Īt one point during their misadventures Max and Duke meet a homicidal bunny who fantasizes about a world in which pets kill their owners. Even then the conflict between the two never feels all that terribly important to begin with. Instead it relies on predictable dramatic beats to keep it going. The whole relationship between Max and Duke never approaches genuine feeling. Sadly, this movie, which is overrun with forgettable characters, never harnesses even the slightest hint of 'Toy Story'-esque emotion.
Max feels threatened by Katie's new pet, becomes jealous…and stop me if you've heard this before.Ī remix of the same basic plot for 'Toy Story' wouldn't be that big of a deal if 'The Secret Life of Pets' had anything new to add. A large hairy dog named Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Katie brings home a rescue from the pound. Max's idyllic life is upended by a new house guest. He reveres his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper). 'The Secret Life of Pets' is virtually the Woody and Buzz tale in dog form. It's entirely possible – likely even – that the brains behind the 'Despicable Me' franchise didn't set out to create a ' Toy Story' clone, but that's essentially what happened with 'The Secret Life of Pets.' It's not only the premise (what do animals do when people aren't around?) that mirrors the secret sentient toy idea, but it's the entire structure of the plot.
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