There is an old saying’When the cat’s away, the mice will play’. But have you ever wondered what happens when you’re away? What mischief does your family’s furry friend get into when you lock the front door and set off for school or work?
Not every day, of course. Some days are pretty mundane. Max(Voiced by Louis C.K), the dog which happens to be the main character in the movie, can spend eight straight hours staring at the door, for instance, waiting for his beloved and totally terrific owner, Katie(Ellie Kemper), to return. In another nearby apartment, his feline friend Chloe(Lake Bell) might simply be trying to refrain from helping herself to whatever’s in the fridge-when she’s not lying lazily on an overstuffed pillow, that is. Then there’s the bulldog Mel(Bobby Moynihan), who spends his afternoons barking at squirrels that foolishly wander into the tree outside his apartment window.
But sometimes things get a little more intense.
A prime example is the day wonderful Katie brings home an oversized rescue dog dubbed Duke.
But from Max’s perspective, bringing Duke home was also a disastrous wonderfully loving thing to do.
One day, the two dogs squabbling soon leads to a hike-up-their-hackles hassle that accidently lands them both out on the street without their dog collars or IDs. That disaster opens the kennel door for a fight with a gang of alley cats, getting snatched by Animal Control humans, then crossing paths with and being chased by an underground pet liberation army known as the Flushed Pets.
It’s enough to make you growl out loud.
Worst of all, if Max and Duke can’t find their way home before dark, fabulous and faithful Katie will be all alone. She won’t know where they are. She’ll be lonely and afraid and you guessed it’petless’.
And Max simply can’t bear the thought of that. So he has to dig his way out of his predicament, even if it means patching things up with his hateful hound of a nemesis and working with Duke to get back to wonderful Katie once again. Watch out for the cute little rabbit’Snowball’ voiced by Kevin Hart. Dont be fooled by appearance though as the movie plot takes quite some twists once Snowball shows up. Adults and kids alike will have their hearts tickled and tugged at here, like a pooch with a favorite chew toy.