THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS – Rated PG

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS – Rated PG – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Starring the voices of Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Albert Brooks, Lake Bell and Dana Carvey

Welcome into the lives of those domesticated creatures that we love so, so much, as we get ready to find out what really happens in our homes when we head out for the day…

As we meet Max (Louis CK) and his owner Katie (Ellie Kemper), they are blissfully happy together in their apartment, without a care in the world….

That is, until Katie gets the crazy idea to save one very large fur ball by the name of Duke (Eric Stonestreet), who seems to be pretty pumped about a new place to call home, but his “new brother” Max, is less than excited about this new “living arrangement”.

As Max’s friends all go about their days “as usual”, it seems that this arrangement between Max and Duke isn’t going to work out exactly as Katie thought it would…throwing them all into an epic adventure – that just happens to be directed by one very snide and conniving vegetable eating hare that goes by the name of SNOWBALL (Kevin Hart)…

I give THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS a rating between MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN and WAIT AND CATCH IT ON DVD ~ I was super pumped to catch the advanced screening of this animated film – as I felt the trailer for PETS was sheer perfection, and I couldn’t wait to find out what exactly does go on with my pets when I’m away from our humble abode. Well, even though it turned out that it was enjoyable to view, and that Kevin Hart’s character was totally awesome the whole way through, THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS didn’t quite play out as the incredible film I just knew I was going to get to view. Maybe it was all the hype going in? Or maybe it was the waiting, and waiting, that built up all the excitement for this film that let me down? But, in actuality, it was more the fact that there was more traveling about town, than actual day-to-day happenings in this storyline gone astray, that kept me from liking this film as much as I really planned to. The premise of the film I was hoping to see does plays out in small doses along the way, and you and your kiddos are going to enjoy all the creatures you are about to see on the big screen by the way too, but even with the incredible voices of Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet and the rest of the fabulous talent brought along to portray this epic adventure, PETS just never reached it’s CHAMPION STRIDE for me, in the way I was so hoping it would…

Kathy Kaiser