How's this for canine, feline and whatever-you're-petting-yourself confidence? Before the credits roll on The Secret Life of Pets there's a wonderful short (no pun intended) where the Minions decide to rustle up some money by gardening at a retirement home. If you get to the cinema early you'll feel 20 years younger yourself.
Now, many a movie would have its work cut out trying to follow the yellow yahoos' brand of mayhem but there's no such problem here. When it comes to the three fs - feelgood, funny and fast - The Secret Life of Pets has loads of best-in-show moments.
Director Chris Renaud called the shots on Despicable Me and its sequel while between them the writing team made the magic happen on Minions and both Despicable Mes - that's what we call pedigree.
Our heroes are Max (Louis C.K.) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet), a Jack Russell and Newfoundland who get off on the wrong paw when Max's free rein/lead at owner Katie's (Ellie Kemper) New York apartment is ruined by Duke's arrival. The basket isn't big enough for both of them.
After just a night Max and Duke's game of 'oneupdogship' spirals completely out of control and they lose their ID tags, have the authorities on their tails and cross paths with a militant rabbit called Snowball (Kevin Hart). Fearing the worst, the rest of the pets from the building set off to find them.
Guaranteed to have you thinking about adding to your own family, The Secret Life of Pets is perfectly cast, serves up the laughs and life lessons in equal measure and comes up with so many great characters that a sequel is imperative.
Next time 'round they need to give Louis C.K. and Eric Stonestreet a bigger slice of the side-splitting though, because while Max and Duke are a great double act Kevin Hart as mouth almighty Snowball and Lake Bell as jaded tabby Chloe get all the killer one-liners. A spin-off is well in order, and here's hoping for cameos in next summer's Despicable 3.
In the meantime, the pain in counting down the days to that movie has been eased considerably by this one.
It's hard to imagine loving animals any more than is already the case but that's exactly what happens here.
Harry Guerin
