THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2

Voices of:  Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Harrison Ford, Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet

Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress, Nick Kroll, Dana Carvey, Ellie Kemper

      Whereas in the first rendition of The Secret Life of Pets, a relatively simple story with lots of excitement is told, in Secret Life 2, the filmmakers opted to have three loosely related story plots alternating with one another.  One story is about the main character Max having to adjust to his owner’s new baby and going for a visit to a farm where he encounters an intimidating bigger dog named “Rooster” (Ford), although Rooster isa dog.  Another is about Max’s friend Gidget (Slate) trying to retrieve Max’s favorite toy, “busy bee”—which he entrusts her with while he is out of town—when it bounces away and ends up in a cat-filled apartment.  The third story is about Snowball (Hart) feeling like a super hero when his owner dresses him up in an action figure costume, and his friend Daisy (Haddish) asks him for help in rescuing a circus tiger from its abusive trainer Sergei (Kroll).  

     In my opinion, this structure becomes a near fatal flaw, because it fragments the plot and literally lurches through three very different settings and intrigues. Max is trying to brave it up on the farm; Gidget and her friend Chloe (Bell) are frantically trying to wrest “busy bee” from one huge snarling cat in a house full of cats, and Snowball and Daisy become action figures in outwitting and outfighting the evil Sergei for the tiger. Try as the filmmakers might, the three stories don’t really come together in the end; we just get a sample of endless chases modeled after adult action movies.  Bravery seems to be the element tying all this together, but by the end, we feel like we’ve seen three different movie shorts.

     The actors voicing the animals do a great job highlighting their characters’ personalities (Harrison Ford, Tiffany Haddish, and Nick Kroll are welcome additions to the first team), the animation and special effects are entertaining, and Alexandre Desplat’s music is an apt accompaniment.  

     Children in the screening I attended giggled and laughed at expected times and seemed to enjoy the film overall; I just wonder how well the younger ones especially followed and kept track of the three plots.

Another peek into the pet world, where challenges and intrigues are aplenty.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MAN UP

Simon Pegg     Lake Bell     Olivia Williams     Ophelia Lovibond     Henry Lloyd-Hughes     Rory Kinnear

          Man Up, a UK production, is a bit like a British sitcom, in which a youngish single woman half-heartedly looking for her man is mistaken for a man’s blind date at a match-up meeting place, and she impulsively—as is her pattern—goes along with it by taking on the identity of the missing woman whom she had met briefly on the train.  Nancy (Bell) has a sister who is bombarding her with pop psychology aphorisms to encourage the socially awkward Nancy out into the marketplace, which may partly account for her decision to go along with the mistake.

          Nancy has a quirky personality, coming up with humorous pronouncements that tend to be off-putting, and causing the listener to disappear.  She’s also a bit slapstick and clumsy in getting from one place to another.  Nancy been burned in romance, so is feeling cynical about commitment.  Jack (Simon Pegg), her “date” is just as quirky as she is and doesn’t pick up cues that he has met up with the wrong woman.  They end up having a screwball good time fueled by alcohol, though, until she bumps into an old boyfriend, Sean (Rory Kinnear), whose torch still burns for her.  When he discovers what she has done, he threatens to out her unless she does him some favors. 

        As an added complication to the plot, Nancy is supposed give the key toast at her parents’ 40^th wedding anniversary, but typical of her, this gets put on the back burner, making it questionable whether she will let her family down or not.

         If one goes for the humor in British comedies, Man Up will be great fun.  It’s a little slapstick, touches on common anxieties of contemporary singles, is chockfull of incongruities, and keeps the viewer invested in the outcome.

         Bell, a very talented actress, carries the lead well, although overacting—which may be at the writer’s (Tess Morris) and director’s (Ben Palmer) behest—detracts from a solid performance.  She has adopted a British accent, which is largely successful.  The opening scenes with goofy Bell making faces with a lipstick prop can be hilarious, or over-done, depending on the viewer’s preference.  Pegg bring his considerable comedic skills to bear, and he and Bell sync perfectly when they’re cutting up during the first part of their date.  Likewise, at the resolution of the fiasco, they pull it off beautifully.  Supporting actors (Olivia Williams, Ophelia Lovibond, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and Rory Kinnear) add depth and interest to the main plot.

For a tasty bite of British humor, this romcom is likely to satisfy.

Grade:  C+                                                    By Donna R. Copeland

NO ESCAPE

Lake Bell     Owen Wilson     Pierce Brosnan

           There is no escaping the relentless strain of one close call after another in No Escape.  It starts out with gunfire and a slit throat, which should tell you something about what is to come.  The premise of the film is a good one; after his business fails, Jack Dwyer (Wilson) takes his family to his new job in an unspecified Asian country completely unaware of the political unrest brewing.  The natives are wising up to big companies coming into their country and exploiting them (e.g., privatizing their water supply on the stated intention of water purification), the business of Jack’s new company.  As soon as the Dwyers (Bell as Annie) arrive in the country and register in a hotel, the gunfire starts, phones don’t work, and snow comes on the TV.  A coup is suddenly taking place.

           But throughout the rest of the film the Dwyers with their two young girls in tow, are running, running, running, jumping from one building to another, hiding underneath something to avoid the mobs and gunshots, fighting (literally) for their lives, and trying to strategize plans and make their way to safety in a city completely new to them.  Not much happens beyond the close calls.  Hammond (Brosnan), whom the Dwyers meet on the plane when one daughter asks about his scars, is a mysterious fellow who magnanimously offers them a ride to their hotel, and suddenly reappears just the nick of time on several occasions.

           Owen Wilson is much better known for lighter roles (except for Behind Enemy Lines), but steps up to a more complicated role here of being a nice guy, good husband and father, and then compelled to protect his family at all costs.  He and Bell have good chemistry as a husband and wife, and both actors are exemplary in their performances.  Brosnan is perfect for his (by now expected) role of someone who is ambiguous initially, but ends up being a hero.

           My problem with this film is the script.  I cannot see the purpose of a movie that has one close call after another for the entire film.  There is little comic relief or even dialog that reflects the humanity of anyone, except perhaps for a conversation between Jack and Annie toward the end.  The Dwyers are constantly quarreling with one another about strategy, and the kids’ roles seem like they’re written by someone who doesn’t know kids at all.  The girls—especially the older one—end up being rather annoying—which shouldn’t happen in this kind of film!

           How much better it would have been if the writer/director John Erick Dowdle (written with his brother and producer Drew) had offered more background on Jack’s new company, on the brewing unrest within the foreign country, of Jack’s failed business, and the relationship between Jack and Annie before the action, all of which could have eliminated some of the too numerous close calls and senseless violence.  As it is, the film goes far beyond plausibility.  And as an aside, who would go to live in a foreign country without making any attempt to learn a few basics about the language?

Moviegoer beware unrelenting violence of almost every kind.  This is an action film with little else.

Grade:  C-                        By Donna R. Copeland