Movie Review: The Secret Life of Pets 2

The Secret Life of Pets 2 ** ½ / *****

Directed by: Chris Renaud and Jonathan del Val.

Written by: Brian Lynch.

Starring: Patton Oswalt (Max), Eric Stonestreet (Duke), Kevin Hart (Snowball), Jenny Slate (Gidget), Ellie Kemper (Katie), Lake Bell (Chloe), Dana Carvey (Pops), Hannibal Buress (Buddy), Bobby Moynihan (Mel), Harrison Ford (Rooster), Tiffany Haddish (Daisy), Pete Holmes (Chuck), Nick Kroll (Sergei), Tara Strong (Sweetpea), Chris Renaud (Norman), Henry Lynch (Liam), Sean Giambrone (Cotton), Meredith Salenger (Cat Lady).

 

It seems to me that one of the big problems with animated sequels – sequels in general really – is that when you have a successful first entry, filmmakers try way too hard to squeeze in all the characters and elements that people loved in the first film into the second, even if they aren’t really necessary, while still trying to tell a new story. And the result often looks like The Secret Life of Pets 2, which feels overstuffed and under baked at the same time. The 2016 original film was fun and delightful – not a great film, but a fun one – and had a simple idea for a film – documenting what our pets do with their time when we’re all off at work or school, and what happens when a dog who is used to being by himself, suddenly has to share – his partner, his human – with a big, dumb interloper in the form of another dog.

 

At first, it seems like The Secret Life of Pets 2 will simply repeat the first film – but instead of a big dumb dog entering the realm of Max (now played by Patton Oswalt, instead of Louis C.K. – and thankfully my kids didn’t ask why Max sounded different “You see kids, the original voice of Max like to play all by himself – which is fine – but then he made others watch him as he played, and that isn’t very nice”) – it’s Baby Liam. Thankfully though, after a brief prologue where it seems like Max won’t like Liam, he falls head over heels for him. So much so that he becomes paranoid about letting Liam out of his site – and develops a nervous tick when he is. The central family here travels from New York to a farm for a vacation – where Max had to learn, from Rooster (Harrison Ford) to stop worrying, and take control.

 

That’s one plot – but the movie adds in two more, but that’s the only way to shoehorn in the characters you loved in the first film. So the second plot involves bunny Snowball (Kevin Hart) thinking he is a superhero, who is “hired” by Daisy (Tiffany Haddish – delightful), a small dog, who wants to set her new friend – a Siberian tiger – free from a travelling zoo. The third plot involves Gidget (Jenny Slate), who needs to get Max’s favorite ball back from the apartment of the crazy cat lady, Miraculously, the film somehow finds a way to bring these three plots together for its big action climax.

 

Odd for a movie aimed at kids, the primary message here seems to be aimed at parents – its about letting your kids go, letting them grow up and experience the world, in all its good and bad ways, so they can find their way through it. I kind of thought that at some point the movie may criticize, a little, Rooster’s no-nonsense, unfeeling approach to parenting, but no, it doesn’t. It comes across a little scoldy – like a Gen Xer, telling the stupid Millennials how to live their lives, how to behave, and act, etc. Perhaps finding a middle ground between the two styles would have been more effective.

 

And maybe, the film could have gotten there, but it’s so busy jumping around between the three different storylines – the better to shoehorn in all the characters from the first film - no matter how amusing it is to see Pops (Dana Carvey) teaching a roomful of puppies how to behave is, it feels particularly forced, and particularly like brand extension – to introduce a lot of cute new characters that they are make stuffies out of for you to buy.

 

Basically, the film kind of feels like three episodes of a cartoon show glued together with a strange climax to bring them all together. It’s like the TV series based on Trolls or The Boss Baby (which, yes, I have watched – my kids love them, especially Boss Baby). That may work for a time waster of a Netflix show that you put on for your kids when you need to make dinner, or just need to make them shut up, but as a movie, it feels rushed and forced and unsatisfying. Will kids like – sure. My five-year-old found it hilarious that Pickles pooped in a boot. If you’re looking for something more than poop/boot based humor however, than The Secret Life of Pets 2 is pretty disappointing.

Movie Review: The Secret Life of Pets

The Secret Life of Pets

Directed by: Chris Renaud   

Written by: Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch and Simon Rich.

Starring: Louis C.K. (Max), Eric Stonestreet (Duke), Kevin Hart (Snowball), Jenny Slate (Gidget), Ellie Kemper (Katie), Albert Brooks (Tiberius), Lake Bell (Chloe), Dana Carvey (Pops), Hannibal Buress (Buddy), Bobby Moynihan (Mel), Chris Renaud (Norman), Steve Coogan (Ozone / Reginald), Michael Beattie (Tattoo), Sandra Echeverría (Maria), Jaime Camil (Fernando), Kiely Renaud (Molly).

 

The Secret Life of Pets has a great idea for an animated film – what do our pets do when we’re not around. Yes, that’s basically the plot of Toy Story, but with pets, not toys, but the idea holds – we leave our pets at home alone nearly all day, every day – so what the hell do they actually do (if my judge is representative of most animals, it appears that the answer is sleep – but I digress). It’s almost a shame that the film feels the need to take the pets out of their New York apartments, and put them on the streets, on an Incredible Journey like quest to find their way home. Most of the charm of the movie is just seeing the animals – voiced by an amazing voice cast – simply interacting with each other. The mechanics of the plot are familiar, and kind of dull – but I could listen to these actors riff on each other all day.

 

The story of the film is about Max (Louis CK), who is the beloved dog of Katie (Ellie Kemper) – who isn’t happy when she brings a new dog, Duke (Eric Stonestreet) home. The two at first hate each other, but when they get lost in the city, and have to find their way home – while trying to dodge a psycho bunny (Kevin Hart) and his crew, they end up bonding. Meanwhile, their friends from the apartment building are also trying to find them (Jesus, this really is Toy Story with pets, isn’t it).

 

The film is well cast, which is why it works. CK and Stonestreet work well together - and Hart, even if he’s essentially playing himself as a bunny, is wonderful. I almost preferred the rest of the supporting cast though – led by Jenny Slate, as a poodle in love with Max, and especially Albert Brooks, who may not have been my first choice to play a slightly wacked falcon, but ends up being the best.

 

The film is by Illumination, the studio responsible for the Despicable Me and Minions movies. They aren’t at the level of Pixar or Disney yet – not even close really – they lack any real ambition to make something other than an entertaining time waster for children – but they can at least rival Dreamworks and Blue Sky as a second tier studio.

 

The film basically works. It knows who their audience is, and delivers precisely what it is that they want. For the target audiences parents, there is enough humor and references to keep them amused, and at the very least, this isn’t one of those loud, overly colorful, seizure and headache inducing animated films we get fat too often. The Secret Life of Pets is hardly a great animated film – but it will do until a great one comes along.

Movie Review: Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2
Directed by: Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud.
Written by: Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul.
Starring: Steve Carell (Gru), Kristen Wiig (Lucy), Benjamin Bratt (Eduardo / El Macho), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario), Ken Jeong (Floyd), Steve Coogan (Silas), Elsie Fisher (Agnes), Dana Gaier (Edith), Moises Arias (Antonio), Nasim Pedrad (Jillian), Kristen Schaal (Shannon), Pierre Coffin (Kevin the Minion / Bob the Minion / Stuart the Minion / Additional Minions / Evil Minions), Chris Renaud (Additional Minions / Evil Minions / Italian Waiter).

Despicable Me 2 is the very definition of disposal family entertainment. I have a hard time believing too many people can actually actively dislike the movie – and none of those who do will be children who will have a blast, and probably watch it repeatedly. It is too sweet, funny, fast moving and well animated for anyone to hate the film. And yet, the film doesn’t stick in your mind in any meaningful way after it’s over. The first film was inventive and funny – it played with genre stereotypes about super villains in the movies, and went knowingly over the top when Gru tried to steal the freaking moon. Perhaps it’s better that they didn’t try to top that in the sequel (really, what the hell else could you steal after the moon) but while I had a good time while watching Despicable Me 2, it has all but faded from my memory just a few days later.

The movie once again has the voice of Steve Carell as Gru – once a super villain, who had his evil heart melted when he adopted three girls as part of his evil plan, and ended up loving them like he never thought he would. Gru is now trying to stay on the straight and narrow and be a good father. But it’s a rather dull life – and his idea for a line of jams and jellies doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Even his sidekick – Dr. Nefario – has grown tired of not being evil, and decided to pursue other opportunities.

And that is when he is contacted by the AVL – Anti Villain League. It seems someone has stolen some super-secret, super dangerous drug that makes even docile animals into killing machines. And traces of the substance have been found at the local mall. The AVL wants Gru to team up with Lucy (Kristen Wiig) to figure out who it is. From the beginning we’re pretty sure it’s Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt) – especially when his son starts flirting with Gru’s oldest – much to his dismay.

The movie moves at a brisk pace – we know what’s going to happen on its two different story tracks – the tracking down of an evil villain, and Gru’s blossoming romance with Lucy – and the movie doesn’t really surprise us. But it’s still hard to complain when the movie is this much fun – as a film buff, I did enjoy playing spot the reference throughout the film, some are obvious, some quite subtle. And as with the last film, the film is very well animated. Yes, the film probably does rely too heavily on the Minions this time around – kind of like the Madagascar movies rely too heavily on the Penguins in the sequels, or the Ice Age with Scrat, etc. – but they’re still adorable and funny, so yet again, it’s hard to complain too much.

Overall, it’s easy to see why Despicable Me 2 has become one of the biggest hits of the year so far. It gives fans of the first movie precisely what it wants – is hugely enjoyable for kids, and not a pain to sit through for adults. If that sounds like I’m damning the movie with faint praise, so be it.

Movie Review: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax ***
Directed by: Chris Renaud.
Written by: Ken Daurio & Cinco Paul based on the book by Dr. Seuss.
Starring: Danny DeVito (The Lorax), Ed Helms (The Once-ler), Zac Efron (Ted), Taylor Swift (Audrey), Betty White (Grammy Norma), Rob Riggle (Mr. O'Hare), Jenny Slate (Ted's Mom), Nasim Pedrad Once-ler's Mom).

It’s not often that an animated kid’s movie hits the op-ed pages, with people decrying it as little more than propaganda. But perhaps in these contentious political times in America, where no one can seem to agree on anything, and the right constantly complaining about the left’s supposed demonization of the rich (sorry, “job creators”) and their “radical” environmentalism, it was probably inevitable that what most people will see as a fun, entertaining, bright kids movie, with a rhyme spewing, mustachioed creature with the voice of Danny DeVito who loves trees, some will see as another opportunity to demonize Hollywood and its leftish agenda. Give me a break. While it very clear where The Lorax’s politics lie – and yes, the movie does have them – which is for conservation and against greed, I cannot help but that think that the movie’s lesson is a valuable one to learn for kids – both because our environment should be protected, but also as future “job creators”. After all, if you make your living off of the earth’s natural resources, sooner or later, you’ll run out.

But let’s leave the politics of the movie aside – at least for the moment. Based on Dr. Seuss’ 1971 book, which has already been turned into a half hour TV special, which to pad its running time already had to expand the books material. To turn it into an 87 minute feature, even more stuff needed to be added. Bright and colorful, fast paced and entertaining, The Lorax is a fine animated film. It centers on Ted (with the voice of Zac Efron), who lives in Thneedville, a completely plastic city, which no one ever leaves, and which needs to buy its air supply from Mr. O’Hare. In order to impress an older girl named Audrey (voice of Taylor Swift), he decides to try and track down a real tree. The problem is no one knows where the real trees are – but he gets some advice from his Grandma (the suddenly everywhere Betty White) that what Ted needs to do is track down the Once-ler, who lives far outside of town. Ted goes there – through the desolate wasteland outside the Thneedville walls. The Once-ler tells him what happened to the trees – how his own greed ruined what was once a paradise, over the objections of the Lorax, who pops out of the stump of the first tree that the Once-ler cut down.

The Lorax is an entertaining, fast paced animated film. I appreciated that even though the film is computer driven animation, that they kept the basic character design of the Dr. Seuss original. This is a candy colored film, full of adorable animals (who do not talk). Danny DeVito does a great job as The Lorax, a strange little; orange creature referred to throughout the movie as either an orange meatloaf or a peanut, and the description is apt. He is a persistent little creature. The other great voice performance in the movie is by Ed Helms, as the Once-ler, who is not a bad guy, but simply gets caught up in his company and it becoming biggerer and biggererer (that’s not a typo) until its gone too far for him to turn back from.

So yes, the movie is an environmental parable, and if you’re one of those people who think they should drill for oil in the Alaskan Wildlife refuge, or think that Global Warming is a myth, or a Wall Street bank executive who thinks that short term profits are better than a sustainable business model, than perhaps you’ll see The Lorax is propaganda aimed at indoctrinating your children. But it didn’t bother me at all, because I realize that all kids movie have a message of some sort for the kids, and what matters is that the movie is entertaining. And even if The Lorax is padded perhaps too much from the original story – and even if I still kind of prefer the half hour 1970s TV version, The Lorax as a movie is still a superb entertainment. And the message – well, I agree with it.

Movie Review: Despicable Me

Despicable Me *** ½
Directed by: Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud.
Written By: Ken Daurio & Cinco Paul & Sergio Pablos.
Starring: Steve Carell (Gru), Jason Segel (Vector), Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario), Julie Andrews (Gru's Mom), Will Arnett (Mr. Perkins), Kristen Wiig (Miss Hattie), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Dana Gaier (Edith), Elsie Fisher (Agnes).

Gru is a supervillian that would fit right in to the most ridiculous James Bond movie. He is tall, bald, has remarkably skinny legs and sounds like a Russian Arnold Schwarzenegger at times. He wants to be the best villain of all time – and he is pretty evil, as we witness early on in the movie when comes across a little boy crying over his split ice cream cone, and then makes him a balloon dog to cheer him up, only to pop it right after just because he can. His latest plan isn’t to take over the world, like many Bond villains, but instead to steal the moon. His rival, Vector, has just stolen a pyramid in Egypt, so Gru decides he needs to go even bigger if he is going to top him.

To do so, he needs a loan for the Bank of Evil (formerly Lehman Brothers a helpful sign informs us), but the Bank Executive thinks that Gru is getting too old, and that perhaps he should support Vector instead. Besides, in order to do what he needs to, Gru needs a shrink ray to make the moon a more manageable size, and Vector has stolen it, and despite his best efforts, Gru cannot break into Vector’s house. It is helpful that there “lairs” are really just two houses in the same suburban area. Gru hits upon an idea when he sees three orphan girls going door to door to sell cookies, and Vector opens his impregnable fortress to them. It isn’t long before Gru has adopted the three girls, not because he loves them, but to use them to get inside. But the three girls are so cute and lovable that not even Gru can hold out for long.

Despicable Me is one of the best, funniest animated movies of the year. It helps that they have the best voice cast this side of Toy Story. Steve Carell is great as Gru – disguising his voice, but you can still tell it is him. Jason Segal gets even nerdier then usual as Vector and Russell Brand is wonderful as the aging, hard of hearing Dr. Nefario, who always seems to get Gru’s order mixed up. Best of all may be the three little girls – particularly the lovable Agnes voice by Elsie Fisher, who voice matches the almost impossible cute animation for her character. Look into her eyes, and listen to her talk about her love of unicorns – especially if they are fluffy – and it’s impossible not to fall in love with her. And don’t even get me started on the wonderful minions.

Despicable Me is inventively animated for beginning to end. The theater near my house where I saw it, wasn’t playing it in 3-D, and perhaps that’s just as well – I’m growing increasingly tired with the technology, and can count the number of times that 3-D has actually enhanced a movie going experience on one hand, with a couple of fingers left over. The film is almost impossible colorful, and I fear that 3-D may have taken the edge off of those colors – which is a shame, because it works wonderfully here.

I continually find that many animated movies have grown lazy – slapping together stories and characters that don’t really interest audiences, simply to make a quick buck. That’s why, Toy Story aside, we get so many animated sequels that just are not very good. But Despicable Me feels fresh and alive – it draws us in almost immediately, and its rapid fire jokes almost all hit their marks. To put it quite simply, I had more fun at Despicable Me than I did at almost any other film this summer.