Review:
"The Secret Life of Pets 2"
Release Date: June 7, 2019
Rating: PG Running Time: 86 minutes The cats, dogs, and rabbits continue to play when their owners are away in The Secret Life of Pets 2, the amiable but inessential sequel to 2016’s equally amiable but inessential Illumination animated lark. There’s still some mild humor to be found in the Chris Renaud-directed misadventures of Max the Jack Russell Terrier (voiced by Patton Oswalt, replacing the disgraced Louis C.K. for obvious reasons), Gidget the Pomeranian (Jenny Slate), Chloe the Tabby cat (Lake Bell), and Snowball the white rabbit (Kevin Hart). But unlike The Secret Life of Pets, which focused mostly on developing the relationship between Max and his owner’s new pet dog Duke the Newfoundland mix (Eric Streetstone), this sequel tells three distinct stories that inevitably but seamlessly converge in the third act for an intense climax onboard a moving train. No matter how skillfully Renaud and screenwriter Brian Lynch weave together their three stories, The Secret Life of Pets 2 still feels less than a film than an extended episode of a television series. In The Secret Life of Pets 2, Max and Duke must now share their owner Katie (Ellie Kemper) with her new husband Chuck (Pete Holmes) and their toddler son Liam. The dogs quickly become accustomed to Liam, but Max develops anxieties about keeping Liam out of harm’s way. Things come to a head during a family trip to a farm, and Max’s fears are challenged by the no-nonsense Rooster the Welsh sheepdog (a suitably gruff Harrison Ford). Back in New York, Gidget loses Max’s favorite toy in an apartment stacked to the ceiling with cats. She plans to retrieve the toy posing as a cat under Chloe’s guidance. Snowball, a.k.a. Superhero Animal Friends leader “Captain Snowball,” accepts a mission to free Hu the white tiger from his cruel circus owner, Sergei (Nick Kroll). Snowball is joined on this mission by Daisy the Shih Tzu (Hart’s Night School costar Tiffany Haddish). While the circumstances dictate that she is lacerating than she usually is in her live-action comedies, Haddish sustains an enjoyable back-and-forth with Hart that is obviously friendlier than it was in Night School given they are positioned here as allies. Haddish is the best addition to the franchise given that Harrison Ford, while making his presence known, doesn’t bring much personality to the reliable old pro who serves as a mentor to Max. Pity Nick Kroll, who is criminally underused as the main villain Sergei, the circus owner who is not adverse to employing the whip to get what he wants from his animal performers. Director Chris Renaud infuses Snowball and Gidget’s chaotic endeavors with frenetic energy but takes a more contemplative approach to Max’s emotional journey. Renaud and screenwriter Brian Lynch transfer a new parent’s worst fears to Max, and the result is a poignant examination of paternal instincts told from a fresh perspective. Patton Oswalt makes for a less droll and more relatable Max than Louis C.K., which definitely works to the benefit of The Secret Life of Pets 2. When it comes to pure slapstick, Snowball’s mission produces the best moment in The Secret Life of Pets 2—a superbly choreographed fight between the costumed rabbit and Sergei’s loyal pet monkey. But it is Gidget’s efforts to walk among the cats that produces the most laughs. Maybe this is because screenwriter Brian Lynch finds more humor in the aloof and independent nature of cats than he does in the trustworthy but predictable behavior of dogs. How about a Secret Life of Pets 3 about Chloe tripping on catnip? That would be the cat’s meow. Robert Sims Aired: June 6, 2019 Web site: https://www.thesecretlifeofpets.com |
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