A little humor mixed with emotion is bound to be a pretty well off movie. And although at 20-years-old I may look out of place sitting beside five-year-olds in the theater, The Secret Life of Pets did not disappoint me or the five-year-olds.
Personally, I have an obsession with my pets and I do wonder if they have their own language or what they do when I'm away from home. But really, you wanna know what they're thinking? Like, do they hate the way you talk to them? Do they miss you when you're gone? Do dogs and cats really hate each other? Does one pet intentionally get the other one in trouble? We may never know. But the film turned that wonder into a reality of sorts as I was watching the movie, but also put a twist on animal life and found a way to make some jokes.
The way the dogs pout when the owners leave, how the cats have a bitchy attitude and kick their food bowl to the side, when the wiener dog is the one to climb heights because of his long body, how the poodle that is supposed to be proper jams to heavy metal when the owner leaves. Not to mention the owners and their houses all seem to fit the stereotypes of the animals.
So yes the pets and owners in the movie were clichéd. For instance, the house that was neat and modern was the home of a couple with a fluffy little white dog and the poodle was owned by a classy and wealthy man. Or the old woman who lived alone had twenty-five cats. They also stereotyped the "outcast" pets that owners got rid of or didn't want as they consisted of tarantulas and lizards and snakes. Which basically felt fitting in the outcast group because I never want a tarantula in my home as a pet but rather squashed-gross.
Louis C.K. and Kevin Hart voiced some of the main characters of the movie, which is so fitting because they're some of the funniest comedians to date, but I'd say that each character, er pet, in the film had definitely its own personality that fit the animal. It was a cute movie, filled with sass and wit. The script was extremely well done and allowed to the movie to reach an audience of all ages, like I said, me and the five-year-old.
I guess the message behind it was along the lines of accepting those and helping others despite their differences, but that's if you really wanna get into it. The main punch line of the movie was two dogs who didn't like each other and ended up being caught by animal control and then had to escape and make their way back home. But it was a cute storyline with humor, some puppy love–literally–and a little bit of action.
The previews well fit how the actual movie would be and I would ten out of ten, recommend going see it whether you're 60 or eight.
