“We haven’t even sniffed butts yet!”

Justin’s rating: Good boy. Sit!

Justin’s review: I don’t think you appreciate the bravery it took to approach this movie after having seen Love on a Leash. I’m still working through a lot of trauma from that movie with my therapist, and even though my therapist isn’t real, the trauma is. You don’t see that kind of demented movie and come away unscathed, and you certainly don’t see it and not start immediately whimpering when you learn that there’s another romcom involving animals that become humans and try to woo someone outside their species.

But here I am, settling in for Unleashed*, and all I can pray is that it will let me put my cinematic demons to rest — not add more to the roster.

Kate Micucci (Raising Hope) is Emma, an adorkable woman who’s possibly descended from owls for her sheer eye size and is dealing with a nasty breakup. One night, her dog Summit and cat Ajax get zapped by some cosmic magic and transform into a man-dog and a man-cat. People on the outside (who can talk) and animals within.

The pair can talk, but they’re still very much animals at heart. Ajax is the graceful model who enjoys being worshipped but is a bit of an aloof jerk. Summit ends up being an overly eager and slightly dumb hunk who becomes a personal trainer. The now-human pets adore Emma and sort of try to woo her, but they also want to hang out with her for non-romantic reasons too (they miss her velvet couch).

Through all this, Emma gradually gets to know a handyman Carl (Sean Astin) who may not have it going on in the model looks department, but he took a ring to Mordor that one time, so that counts for something. Considering that Ajax and Summit got fixed a while back, there’s really only one solution to this romantic-rhomboid storyline.

While this is a romcom, Unleashed also works as a dual fish-out-of-water story. The actors and screenwriter have a whole lot of fun with the ridiculous premise and lean into that silliness to great effect. Everything here is heightened fantasy, with a spotless and safe San Francisco, montages galore, and sight gags left and right.

Both of the animal-people are hilarious, but Ajax might win out for all of the crazy quirks of being a cat translated into human form. Then again, it’s hard not to chuckle at Summit being so enthusiastic about sniffing butts and chasing frisbees. And they’ve got an amazing frenemy energy that’s so entertaining when they bounce off each other. Make no mistake, they’re the real stars here, which means that Emma is kind of relegated to second-tier in her own story.

(And a special shout-out to Hana Mae Lee of Pitch Perfect who plays Emma’s best friend, who’s her own brand of hysterical.)

It’s not often that films advertising themselves as “romcoms” actually bring the “com” to the table. Unleashed may not be the most hilarious movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s genuinely decently funny, sweet, and hooked on animal tropes. I had a pretty good time.

*In a complete coincidence, Al was also watching Unleashed the very same week I did — but the Jet Li version. With fewer pets and more martial arts.

Intermission!

• Take the app and run, ya jerk
• Girls are always impressed by yo-yo tricks
• I love it when girls do a super tall hair-towel-thing
• “You look like Amish Mafia or something.”
• Astrology always sounds like crazy jibberish, and this movie did not change my mind
• One cat. That’s how it starts.
• “He’s got you on a pretty short leash, doesn’t he?”
• “I’ve turned human, not stupid.”
• He’s got to go poo-poo
• The velvet couch is soooo soft
• Summit sniffing the guy peeing in the street, hah
• Ajax checking out the fish and pawing the glass
• Ajax hacking up the salad like a cat
• The Cane! Sugar! song
• He loves this tree for pee and pigeons
• Carl lives in a tiny house on the curb, which is kind of cool and kind of exposed
• “Two legs, what a terrible idea!”
• “Definitely a cat person.”
• Ajax purring into Emma and then getting doused with a super-soaker
• “Manbait” is a weird term. Don’t use it.
• “I’ve been dreaming about fish allll day.”
• Haha Ajax can’t get down from the tree
• “Go back to your troll house, CARL.”
• What is that bike? That is a weird bike. So weird.
• Summit runs 15 miles before work. Every day.
• “Don’t come to me. I’ll come to you.”
• Don’t call someone an orphan when they’re actually an orphan
• “That Luke guy sounds like he needs someone to discipline him properly.”
• “Is it considered a predator if you eat out of a can?”