Review for The Secret Life of Pets

Rating: 8/10 (19 July 2016)

Hot off the heels of Zootopia and Finding Dory comes The Secret Life of Pets. While I went into this movie not really expecting much, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I laughed. The movie is about two dogs, Max and Duke, that get lost in New York City and need to find their way back home before they get sent to the pound. While that doesn't sound like much, there are two other parties of animals that are also trying to find them. One is their friends from their home apartment building and the other is a group of abandon animals from the sewers.
All of the voice talents did a great job with their characters. Louis C.K. is the voice of the dog, Max. Not being a big fan of Louis C.K. I did not really recognize his voice, but he really brought some charm to his character. The female dog and love interest, Gidget, is voiced by Jenny Slate. She does a great job balancing sweet, cute and crazy. The standout voice performance is from Kevin Hart. He voices the bunny, Snowball, who leads the group of abandoned animals called the Flushed Animals. While he may be crazy and slightly evil, he is hilarious and even has a bit of a soft side at the end.
While there is an ongoing plot, that's not really the driving force. The comedy is what keeps the audience watching. The short 87-minute run-time means the movie doesn't drag on in any spots. For the most part, the jokes are nonstop throughout the movie. A lot of the laughs are from visual cues. Mostly making fun of the way that pets think and act. Anyone who owns a pet knows how dogs act around balls and how cat loves the laser pointers. The movie shows all the little habits that pets have and how it can appear to be silly. Perhaps people that don't have pets, might not get the jokes and enjoy the movie as much.
As far as cartoon animal movies go, The Secret Life of Pets is good, fun entertainment for children and adults. If you are looking for something more emotional and dramatic then this is not your movie. However, if you just want to laugh and have a good time, I highly recommend seeing this movie.