Secret Life of Pets 2 short on inspiration

Max (Patton Oswalt) in The Secret Life of Pets 2. Image courtesy Universal Pictures.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 is an average entry in Illumination's animation stable. It's colorful and cheery, containing a skosh of inventiveness and a hint of weirdness or inspiration, just enough to maybe think the movie will actually be sort of interesting. Illumination movies never come close to fulfilling those flashes of interesting because of uninspired animation and static writing. Because mediocrity is easy, and it's far more profitable to be inoffensive than experimental.

Picking up some time following the events of the first film, Secret Life of Pets 2 is divided into three plots. Plot A has Max (now voiced by Patton Oswalt) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet) dedicating themselves to their owner's (Ellie Kemper) son Liam. They spend much of the film at a farm, with Max learning lessons about courage from the bold Rooster (Harrison Ford, clearly not caring). Plot B has Snowball (Kevin Hart) joining new dog Daisy (Tiffany Haddish) in an adventure to save a white tiger from the evil Sergei (Nick Kroll) and his wolves. They also run into the crotchety Pops (Dana Carvey) along the way. Plot C has Gidget (Jenny Slate) taking cat lessons from Chloe (Lake Bell) to get a toy back from some vicious kitties. The three plots eventually intersect in the third act, with the pets joining forces before getting rewarded for being very good dogs, cats, bunnies, and tigers.

Good lord is Secret Life of Pets 2 boring. Even with three plots, there isn't a lot actually happening on screen because the narratives are unambitious. The jokes rarely land, sort of stuck in this weird liminal state between catering to children and serving adults. Despite having quality comedic talent (Oswalt, Slate, Bell, Haddish, and even Hart), it's impressive how few jokes land. There are a few interesting ideas – a nice animation sequence with Snowball, the conclusion to Gidget's story – but not enough to ever be memorable. Things happen in Secret Life of Pets 2, but they're more incidentally quotidian than engaging.

The mistake of splitting Secret Life of Pets 2 into thirds is a lack of time for story development. Max and Duke at the farm with Rooster could be interesting, if the film allotted more time to add depth to the adventures and provide a concrete lesson that doesn't feel rushed. Snowball and Daisy saving the tiger is a fun idea, but it needs more time to build tension and establish the wolves as a full threat and give the tigers something more to do than hide. Gidget and Chloe is about as complete a story as this film has, but it could still use more time to explore the divine weirdness of its premise. This is pretty par for the course for Illumination, which toys with cool ideas but strays away to provide a mundane viewing experience.

 

If there's one thing Secret Life of Pets 2 has in its favor, its the relationship between Max and Liam. There's an inherent sweetness to watching a dog and his boy bond, with Max evolving into a guardian for his adoptive child. Even if this plot, like much of the rest of the film, is underdeveloped, the moment at the end where Liam hugs his dogs still hits the heart strings effectively. The brilliance is in its simplicity; the scene succeeds because it connects to a lot of childhood memories. If the movie knows one thing, it's that dogs are more often than not the best. (All scientific evidence shows my golden retrievers, Currie and Haley, were the best.)

That's one of the reasons I liked this movie more than the original. Haddish is a nice addition to the franchise, and adding her cuts down on Duke. Secret Life of Pets 2 cuts back heavily on the time padding and replaces it with actual plot, and an incomplete plot is far better than no plot at all. Adding Liam and avoiding a repeat of the jealousy plot of the original makes for a more touching film, albeit one that still feels incomplete. Secret Life of Pets 2 isn't particularly interesting, but it's inoffensive enough to keep kids occupied until the next Toy Story movie comes out. It's also really difficult to make an unappealing film about dogs.

Review: Two and a half out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG

Run time: 86 minutes

Genre: Animated

tl;dr

What Worked: Voice Talent, the Max-Liam Relationship

What Fell Short: Lack of enthusiasm, Underdeveloped Plots

What To Watch Instead: Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Everything isn't awesome with Lego Movie 2, but it's still pretty good

Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) and Emmet (Chris Pratt) in Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. Image courtesy Warner Bros.

What is moderately miraculous about the Lego Movie franchise is its ability to find quality despite being a blatant piece of toy marketing. The first movie, the Batman spin-off, and the new one – The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part – are all entertaining and fun, often cleverly written and with at least a modicum of feels to go with it. Lego Movie 2 retains the franchise's commitment to entertain audiences and shift a little merchandise in the process, although its method of entertaining comes at the expense of some of its heart.

Lego Movie 2 picks up right where the original left off, with the introduction of the toddler-based Duplo toys as they invade Bricksburg. Jump ahead five years and Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Lucy (Elizabeth Banks) are surviving in a prototypical Mad-Maxian wasteland, trying to stay out of the sights of the odd alien creatures. That is, until the powerful General Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) kidnaps Lucy, Batman (Will Arnett), Unikitty (Alison Brie), MetalBeard (Nick Offerman) and Benny (Charlie Day) and take them to meet Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (Tiffany Haddish). Fearing for his friends' safety, as well as a prophecy documenting the end of the world, Emmet races off to save them, getting help from the dashing Rex Dangervest (Pratt again) and his crew of raptors along the way.

And, yes, the raptors – who are a comedic highlight – are a direct reference to Pratt's role in the Jurassic World franchise. This is a small taste of Lego Movie 2's general sense of humor, a machine-gun mentality to target as many jokes as possible and see what hits. The example above is one of the stronger references, as the movie never explicitly links Pratt to Jurassic World; the suggested implication is much, much funnier. Most of the references land thanks to the writing team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Lord and Miller, who helmed the first movie, take full advantage of Lego's deep reservoir of franchises to toss in jokes subtle and broad. If a Lego version of Sheryl Swoopes exists, give her a line in the movie. If Bruce Willis has a few minutes to spare, let him have a line or two and see what happens. But the real target of Lego Movie 2 is, well, the Lego Movie franchise. The film goes out of its way to mock itself, making fun of everything from character motivations to Everything is Awesome!!! Even the numerous musical numbers exist less to advance the plot and more to outline how an infectious tune is far more notable than a good lyric. The existence of the movie is a joke to Lord and Miller, and they stretch that joke about as far as they can without shattering the film completely.

The ability to consistently tell a good joke is Lego Movie 2's strength... and the source of its weakness. There are so many jokes, so many things to make fun of, the film never develops the strong emotional resonance it seeks. The movie's tone is too silly and self-aware to take any of the action or consequences too seriously. So when the film introduces the real-life consequences to the plastic shenanigans, the emotional punch is weaker than intended. Which is pretty odd considering how well Lord and Miller connect the real-world action to the Lego adventure. It's written so well, almost immaculately structured that the emotional payoff comes very close to working despite the tonal discrepancy. But the feels they go for never quite arrive as they did in the first film, undercut by the plethora of meta jokes. It's really, really difficult to be sarcastic and sincere simultaneously, and LEGO Movie 2 isn't the first film to miss the mark.

This isn't to say Lego Movie 2 doesn't have a heart; rather, there is nary a mean bone in this movie's body. Like Steven Universe, the enemies are less evil than misunderstood, making a peaceful resolution to the film's conflict logical and satisfying. The emphasis on fun ensures the movie is never boring; something is always happening, and it's often joyous and exciting. Given its predecessor and the talent driving its creation, Lego Movie 2 isn't quite as great as it could be, but it is pretty gosh darn awesome for a movie about building blocks.

Review: Four out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

 

Rating: PG

Run time: 106 minutes

Genre: Animated

tl;dr

What Worked: Sense of humor, writing.

What Fell Short: It gets a little too meta.

What To Watch As Well: The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie

Uncle Drew can't buy a bucket

Kyrie Irving in Uncle Drew. Image courtesy Lionsgate.

There is something at least mildly intriguing about the Uncle Drew commercials. For a piece of pure commercialism, they have a little soul and grit, a little mystery hidden underneath the inherent silliness of the premise. The cinematography is exceptional for a commercial, depicting the simple beauty of a basketball court at night. The ads do little to hide their nature (I doubt people are chugging Pepsi Max at courts across the country), but for commercials those nuggets are chill and cool and still fun to watch.

And yet none of that translates into Uncle Drew, the feature-length adaptation of the commercial series. Despite ripping off the story arc of the Pepsi commercials, the movie adaptation went in a far more comedic, broad direction. The smooth simplicity of the Pepsi Max commercials are gone, replaced by forced wackiness, weak sauce storytelling, and stale old-man jokes. Even as vessels to sell a bland Pepsi product, the commercials are far, far superior than the cinematic adaptation, a rather disturbing fact that results in an often disheartening cinematic viewing experience.

In both the commercials and the movie, Uncle Drew is a streetball legend (played by Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving) who goes around basketball courts across the country to school some uneducated, impetuous ballers. The plot basically follows the story from the commercials, with Uncle Drew running back his old squad back (older versions of former NBA players Chris Webber, Nate Robinson, Reggie Miller, and Shaq, as well as WNBA great Lisa Leslie) for a tournament at the legendary Rucker Park. They're playing on behalf of the desperate Dax (Lil Rel Howery), whose star player Casper (Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon) and the rest of his team is swiped by longtime rival Mookie (Nick Kroll). Dax's girlfriend Jess (Tiffany Haddish) also dumps him early on, but he meets the far cooler Maya (Erica Ash) in the second act, and they inevitably hook up after Dax hits the big shot to end the big game.

As a film, Uncle Drew is pretty dire. None of the basketball players save Webber (who gets the best line of the movie) can act, and much of their activities on screen amount to time consumption.The plot is carried by sport clichés and even more filler that makes for what feel like an endless movie. Writer Jay Longino's script is covered in illogical decisions, gaping holes in continuity, and uninteresting, exposition inflated dialog. There are jokes that appear on occasion, which are immediately commented on by Dax to undermine whatever humor might have existed in the first place. It’s easy to tell Howery is trying to improvise throughout, despite the absence of decent material to spin off from. Director Charles Stone III seems unenthusiastic about his material, and it shows in the film's overarching sloppiness and laziness. As a basic piece of filmmaking, Uncle Drew fails phenomenally.

Yet even all of the sloppiness and laziness can’t strip Uncle Drew of its unadulterated love for basketball. The movie hints at an interesting idea about how basketball is a cornerstone for a community, a sport people can gather together to admire athletic brilliance and smooth crossovers. Uncle Drew is pretty OK when it puts the camera in front of the players and just shoots the game, giving its players some time to shine. And even if the cast can’t act, they can all ball, with Irving showcasing his splendid handle and Webber capturing glimpses of his unique brilliance as a player. Even Gordon, completely wasted on the Orlando Magic, gets a few moments to shine. The glimpses of these players messing around the court are the closest Uncle Drew gets to having a highlight. 

 

A smarter filmmaker would make the court the soul of this movie. Alas, the basketball is dispiritingly sparse in Uncle Drew. The movie talks about the spirituality of the sport without really showing the effects it has on the soul. Rucker Park is a great setting for a movie like this because of how much it embodies the sense community the sport can breed, yet the movie hardly takes advantage of having such a splendid church to pray in. There might be something to Uncle Drew if the basketball came first; the movie still wouldn't be good, but it would at least be something worth watching.

Review: One and a half out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG-13

Run time: 103 minutes

Genre: Comedy

tl;dr

What Worked: Chris Webber, Tiffany Haddish, Nick Kroll, the basketball

What Sucked: The plot, the jokes, Kyrie Irving's old-man voice, Shaq's old-man makeup

Watch Instead: Blues Brothers, Love & Basketball, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, Above the Rim

That Darn Cat!

Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and a kitten in "Keanu." Image courtesy Warner Bros.

What surprises most about “Keanu” from the outset is the violence. A parody of films such as “John Wick,” “New Jack City,” and a plethora of crime/revenge films from the last 25 years, the movie opens with a bloodbath and maintains its violence streak. The shock comes from the involvement of stars Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, two very funny people whose sense of humor is rooted more in absurdity, silliness, and racial analysis than showing guys get shot in the head in the middle of a drug den. Even the last bit of a joke at the end of the opening sequence sets the tone though for what's to come, a movie that will indulge in a little silliness but stays a little too close to what inspired it. “Keanu” centers on a milquetoast suburban father (Key) and his cousin (Peele), who infiltrate a local gang after the latter's cat, Keanu, is kidnapped. Doing so requires them to pretend to be Omar-esque killers, the Allentown Boys, to meet with local drug lord/cat thief Cheddar (Method Man) and his main bruiser, Hi-C (Tiffany Haddish). Despite being very far out of their element, the two manage to pull it off for awhile, even as the people they're pretending to be (also played by Key and Peele) come searching for that cat. Everything comes to a head when an additional party also fights for little Keanu as blood and bullets rain down upon everyone and Will Forte is nearly eaten by a snake.

It’s worth mentioning the eponymous cat in “Keanu” is the most adorable MacGuffin in cinematic history. That kitten is so cute it explains why a cadre of drug dealers, murderers, and people with felonious intents would go out of their way to keep/steal him. It also happens to be the most clever gag the film has to offer, a running joke that a kitten could cause mayhem in a manner befitting Helen of Troy. It's a really weird joke that fits with the sense of humor Peele and Key offered in their Comedy Central program “Key and Peele,” but it works on another level too. There's an old screenwriting trope in which writers have characters save the cat (or some other little act of kindness) as a shortcut to establish heroic tendencies, the logic being a person decent enough to protect a helpless animal can't be too bad of a person. Except, in this case, in which everyone but Peele's geeky stoner Rell Williams – whose morals loosen as the film progresses – is a villain who acts in stereotypical villainous ways. With Keanu, their actions gain a hint of sweetness to them, as their intention shifts from killing wantonly to murdering to protect the cutest kitten imaginable. They become heroic by default, effectively proving the notion that saving the cat grants some heroic qualities to the worst of people; after all, nobody who saves a cat can be an evil man.

If all of “Keanu” were as smart and clever as this central joke, and if the film had probed a little deeper with its analysis of black identity that picks up in the second half before fading , it would be one of the funniest and smartest films in recent memory. For some reason though the film skirts away from the truly scary stuff, happy to revel in wanton violence but afraid to commit to the intelligence it flashes otherwise. It takes the easy route in dealing with the crisis of manhood Key's nebbishy Clarence Goobril faces concerning his wife (played by Nia Long), following the path forged by films like the atrocious “Malibu's Most Wanted” than finding anything interesting to say. The resolution to Peele's romantic subplot with Haddish's Hi-C has a similarly convenient vibe to it, an issue worsened by an overly truncated relationship between the two. Even the humor gets a little too simple from time to time, including one sight repeated gang that is inspired heavily from the film “Neighbors.” For two guys known for comic ingenuity, that comes as a severe letdown.

But there are a few moments when “Keanu” follows through with its bizarre potential and hits some pretty great comedic highs, like a terrific drug trip Key's Clarence undergoes involving an old George Michael music video and a conversation with Keanu's namesake. It’s a strange non sequitur befitting the stars’ sense of humor, as well as an indicator of what the film could be if it was a little less accessible. Then again, it’s impossible to hate a film featuring a cat as sweet as little Keanu.

Review: Three and a half out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: R

Run time: 98 minutes

Genre: Comedy

Ask Away

Target audience: People who enjoyed “Key and Peele.”

Take the whole family?: Considering how many dudes get shot up, along with a few scenes at a strip club, it's best to keep the kids at home.

Theater or Netflix?: You can wait to stream it.

Seriously, how cute is that cat?: It is seriously unfair how adorable little Keanu is. Michael Keegan-Key and Jordan Peele released a video in which they evaluate cats for the role, and while the nature of it is silly, the point remains that casting the correct animal is vital to selling the ridiculous premise. Compare that to a film like “A Talking Cat,” whose cat is so uninspiring the movie uses a different cat on its cover.

Watch this as well?: Visit Youtube to catch some clips from “Key and Peele.” Some of the highlights include the “East/West College Bowl” shorts, “Continental Breakfast,” “Substitute Teacher,” and, my favorite because of how bonkers the entire premise is, “Aerobics Meltdown.”