The biggest thing working against Strays, the new comedy from director Josh Greenbaum and producing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller opening in theaters this weekend, isn’t anything in the movie itself, but rather its first trailer. Not only does the trailer outline almost the entire plot and give away many of the biggest jokes, but its structured in such a way as to sell the movie as a far more predictable and altogether worse version of itself.
Because of this, I went into Strays hoping for the best but expecting a relatively standard R-rated studio comedy told through the lens of a typical dog movie. And while the final film isn’t completely opposite that, it’s also so much more. A fun, raucous ride with strong comedic set pieces, a great cast of characters, and a surprising amount of heart.
Strays Plot
Our story centers on Reggie, a Border Terrier voiced by Will Ferrell, who is too lovable, friendly, and naïve to realize that his owner Doug, played by Will Forte, is an abusive, neglectful, lowlife who only kept Reggie around as an act of petty vengeance against his ex-girlfriend. One day, Doug finally decides he’s had enough of Reggie and leaves him in the city to get rid of him for good.
Reggie, believing this to be part of a game he and Doug are playing, tries to make his way back home before meeting a few new dog friends: A fast-talking stray Boston Terrier named Bug, a K-9 unit flunky turned therapy dog named Hunter, and an Australian Shepherd named Maggie sidelined by her owner’s new puppy.
The three of them help teach Reggie the joys of being a stray as well as make it clear to him that Doug never truly loved him. Reggie is heartbroken by this revelation, but ultimately decides to make the journey back to Doug’s place anyway. Not to reunite, but to take vengeance on Doug for his years of abuse by taking away the one thing he truly loves: his penis.
The Critique
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Yes, in case the prominent R-rating graphic on the poster wasn’t enough, Strays lets you know that it’s very much not a typical family-friendly dog movie right away by having its central hook literally be “a dog wants to bite off someone’s genitalia.” When the trailer first revealed this, I was worried the movie would rely too heavily on shock value and I am so happy to be wrong.
To be clear, Strays is in fact an unapologetically vulgar movie with more sex jokes, drug jokes, and profanities than you can shake a stick at. But a lesser movie would make that the whole joke and that is very much not the case here. Like all great comedies, the humor in Strays largely comes from the characters: their unique personalities, the way they interact with each other, and how said personalities shape the way they react to various situations.
Will Ferrell brings genuine sweetness to Reggie, Jamie Foxx’s Bug consistently keeps the film’s energy up, and Randall Park’s Hunter brings a more deadpan and grounded style of humor that keeps things fresh throughout. Moreover, Hunter and Isla Fisher’s Maggie help give the film much more heart than I expected; with both having genuinely satisfying character arcs both as individuals and in their relationship to each other.
However, that does also lead me to my biggest problem with Strays. Remember when I said that the trailer made me worry it was going to be too predictable? Unfortunately, the final film doesn’t entirely escape this issue, namely in relation to its emotional beats. Reggie’s arc works, particularly in the film’s extremely cathartic finale, but you can instantly see most of where it’s going from the very beginning and the “All Is Lost” moment with him in Act 3 feels rather contrived.
The biggest issue though is with Bug’s arc. Like I said, his comedy works very well and there are some admittedly sweet moments with him, but most of his emotional stuff felt weirdly trite for a movie that’s otherwise so subversive. He gets a tragic backstory that’s supposed to be this big emotional moment, but all I could think about was how it was nearly identical to Ace’s tragic backstory in last year’s DC League of Super Pets, a movie you probably forgot existed until I mentioned it just now.
In Conclusion
Despite these issues, I still found myself pleasantly surprised by Strays. The dynamic between the four leads works very well, it’s almost perfectly paced and doesn’t overstay its welcome (But be sure to stick around for the mid-credits scene), and most importantly, it’s very funny. This is the most I’ve laughed at an original studio comedy in years and I think dog-lovers in particular will really get a kick out of the ways they dive into a dog’s mindset and how they see the world.
It may not be a perfect movie, its emotional beats are far too predictable for how much time they spend on them; but in a summer dominated by arguably bloated and overly safe big-budget tentpoles, it’s really nice to see a smaller, more unabashedly crass film like Strays get a chance to shine.
Honestly, the third act of this movie felt more cathartic and satisfying than several recent blockbusters and it contains the single best needle drop in any movie this year not named Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’re looking to laugh this weekend, especially if you love dogs, you can’t go wrong with bringing a group of friends to Strays and hopefully learning some new tricks of your own.
8/10
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