There’s something to be said about a movie that ends up being exactly as advertised. That’s not always a good thing, as predictability and formula can certainly induce some eye rolls and feel the meal being served is too bland to enjoy. “Strays” remains aware of its lane and, despite its title, doesn’t stray too far off course. It is the epitome of anthropomorphized raunchy comedy, a one trick pony of cute dogs behaving badly and dropping f bombs as often as possible. That’s neither and indictment or endorsement of the film, just a confirmation that if you’re expecting an introspective A24 twist or any kind of subversion, you came to the wrong movie.
“Strays” doesn’t have a whole lot to offer outside of its schtick, but the jokes land more often than not thanks to a strong voice cast and a thin layer of character for each of our doggie protagonists.
Directed by Josh Greenbaum (“Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar“) and written by Dan Perrault (“American Vandal“), “Strays” also has an impressive list of producers, including Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Erik Feig. It stars Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fischer (with her native Australian accent!), and Ray Park as Reggie, Bugs, Maggie and Hunter, 4 dogs who set out on an adventure to take revenge on Reggie’s terrible owner who has left him 3 hours away in hopes that he never finds his way back home. Each dog has a different relationship with humans, and together they’ll discover the power of friendship as well as discover a new way of life for each of them. That’s the long version. It is as simple as its trailer leads you to believe: Reggie thinks his owner loves him, discovers he does not, finds some other dog friends and decides that he needs to bite his owner’s dick off to teach him a lesson. Yes, really.
It’s hard to really articulate any kind of analysis for something as simple and vulgar as “Strays.” Perrault’s script is classic raunchy comedy, something you would expect from the early to mid 2000s and one that rests hard on the laurels of dick and poop jokes. And it REALLY leans into that crux, as the film hinges on whether or not foul mouthed dogs can be sustainable for a feature film instead of a collection of YouTube sketches. It largely succeeds in staying consistently funny as long as you’re tuned into the wavelength of its humor. If f bombs and sex jokes and lots and lots of poop from cute dogs isn’t your thing, then you’re probably right to conclude that “Strays” isn’t for you. It does stumble a bit despite its relatively short runtime, but it’s creative enough in how that humor is delivered that it becomes surprisingly funnier than you would expect.
This is largely due to the solid voice cast, who’s comedic timing and delivery does more to sell the jokes in “Strays” than the jokes on the page do to sell themselves. Ferrell brings his “Elf ” like charm to Reggie, the sort of fish out of water, situational comedy that works here. I know Ferrell is sort of hit or miss, but when he’s part of the ensemble and not all out wacky, he can actually bring more than what’s written. Foxx is always best when he’s allowed to just run, and his quick time ranting and really strong voice work for Bugs makes the lead pairing easy to root for. Park and Fischer are equally fun, rounding out the 4 friend adventure romp cast and doing some really strong work. This film may not do much in the way of showcasing talent or even performance, but it’s clear they’re all having a lot of fun and it comes through in voice work.
I’m sure there’s plenty to be said about themes; toxic relationships, grief, facing fears, being loved, friendship etc. It’s all there, but no one comes to see dogs say “fuck” over and over again for thematic resonance. Even the cinematography by Tim Orr is worth noting, as it actually looks pretty good considering all of our protagonists are talking dogs. It’s nothing special, but “Strays” works better visually than expected to make for a solidly crafted comedy. But really the only question that matter, even more than whether or not “Strays” is a good movie is whether or not it’s funny. And I’d have to say that it is for those that enjoy the kind of humor it’s offering. I really can’t stress this enough: “Strays” is a through and through raunchy comedy, and if that isn’t your speed than this movie is not for you. And that’s perfectly fine, as the assaulting nature of vulgar humor isn’t really meant to be for all. Much like sports biopics, raunchy comedies are really easy to make but very difficult to make well.
I can’t really say “Strays” is the rare category of great raunchy comedies, but it delivers enough laughs to be a fun if not forgettable watch. The voice cast is doing a lot of heavy lifting, and they certainly inject some life into tired tropes and jokes to make it worth a watch. Though certainly not worth rushing to the theater, it would be a perfectly fine viewing on a weekend evening when you’re not really sold on what to watch and see that that funny dog movie is on. It’s perfectly mid, which is honestly the best you could hope for from a movie about cursing dogs traveling the woods looking to harm human genitals.
“Strays” does sport one of my favorite needle drops of the year, so I’m giving an extra half point for that.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
“Strays” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
