Review #35 | "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016)

Finally! A must-see summer movie for all ages! The theatre was full of families, young couples, older couples, elderly couples, and best friends. The best part is that the theatre was converted into a community with everyone laughing out loud! "The Secret Life of Pets" is a bull's-eye with all audiences for its pathos and humour. There is something for everyone, cat-person, dog-person, or any person alike!

Adorable Max opens the film with classic dog-type loyalty. He dreads every morning when his owner, Katie, leaves for the day, but he waits in anticipation for the "best part of the day" when she comes home. Max's blissful doggie life is interrupted when Katie brings home a new, and much larger, dog from the pound named Duke. The pair doesn't get along at first, but through trials and tribulations they form the bond of brothers and learn to appreciate what they have.

Max and Duke are assisted by a squad of other house pets with a mission to protect their own. Adorably, fluffy, Pomeranian Gidget will stop at nothing to see that her one true love, Max, comes home safely. On the contrary there are the abandoned pets of New York City who live in the sewers and are focused on the downfall of all pet owners and the conversion of house pets into strays. Both sides are forced to cooperate with each other to make it to the end, but achieving that goal is harder than it would seem.

"The Secret Life of Pets" is a smart movie for pet owners, children who are fond of animals, as well as dog and cat people. Humour and sentiment abound in the daily ritual of caring for a pet and the lives they lead. In the end, all is well and everyone can go home with a warm-fuzzy feeling to greet their beloved little critters.

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Rated PG. Runs 87 minutes.

Directed by Yarrow Cheney and Chris Renaud. Written by Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Brian Lynch, and Simon Rich. Produced by Janet Healy, Brett Hoffman, Christopher Meledandri, and Robert Taylor. Starring Louis C. K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Chris Renaud, Steve Coogan, and Michael Beattie.