"The Secret Life of Pets" review

Every imagine what your pets do when you're not home? Of course you have. We all have and now Illumination Entertainment (the studio that brought us the Despicable Me films and their spinoff, Minions) aims to capitalize on our imaginations with The Secret Life of Pets.

Comedian Louis C.K. plays Max, a clingy dog who's obsessed with his owner. After years of just the two of them together, Max's owner brings home a stray named Duke and the two new brothers begin hashing it out for their owner's attention. After their antics land them both out on the street without their collars, the two dogs embark (ha ha, embark, get it?) on a crazy adventure home that can only be described as Toy Story meets Homeward Bound.

This movie's like Homeward Bound in that it's about domesticated animals trying to find their way back, well... home. The property of human beings acting differently when their owners aren't around is obviously the Toy Story part; however, also like Toy Story, The Secret Life of Pets takes some unexpectedly dark turns for a film that's marketed as "family friendly."

Kevin Hart lends his voice and charisma to a villainous rabbit who wants to wipe out the human race. That's right: a rabbit who wants to wipe out the human race. Despite his fur-raising motives, Kevin Hart's fluff ball actually steals the show and earns the most laughs from what is otherwise a stacked roster, including: Jenny Slate, Albert Brooks, and Dana Carvey among others.

Each actor brings a wildly different personality to their respected character which makes for a wild ride. It's fun getting to know each quirky pet during the first two acts. Unfortunately, everything goes off the bridge (literally) once the third act hits. The ridiculousness gets dialed up to eleven, things that are established earlier on never pay off, and established character motivations get completely overlooked.

Still, The Secret Life of Pets is worth your time. It's a fun, often funny adventure with a host of likeable characters and performances. Despite an unfocused third act, there is still plenty to enjoy about this film.