When Reggie (Will Ferrell), a naïve, relentlessly optimistic Border Terrier, is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug (Will Forte), Reggie is certain that his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose. But once Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier named Bug (Jamie Foxx), a stray who loves his freedom and believes that owners are for suckers, Reggie finally realizes he was in a toxic relationship and begins to see Doug for the heartless sleazeball that he is. Determined to seek revenge, Reggie, Bug and Bug’s pals—Maggie (Isla Fisher), a smart Australian Shepherd who has been sidelined by her owner’s new puppy, and Hunter (Randall Park), an anxious Great Dane who’s stressed out by his work as an emotional support animal—together hatch a plan and embark on an epic adventure to help Reggie find his way home … and make Doug pay by biting off the appendage he loves the most. (Hint: It’s not his foot).
What We Thought:
Whatever your reaction to the trailer for Strays was will be your reaction to the movie. If you thought a raunchy talking dog movie looked absolutely moronic, well then you won’t like it. If you thought it might be kind of fun, you should like it. Overall I found myself laughing more than not and for a late August release, it’s pretty entertaining.
It reminded me of the criminally underrated film Good Boys from 2019. Where that used young boys on an adventure with surprising circumstances, this uses dogs. It’s the mix of naivety and sense of friendship that drives each film. Will Ferrell’s Reggie is new to being on his own and doesn’t know the lifestyle of a stray. Jamie Foxx’s Bug is there to help along with two other dogs (voiced by Isla Fisher and Randall Park). Because all four dogs are of different breeds you get four drastically different personalities.
It’s these personalities that bring laughs and heart to the film. And you don’t need to know what the different types of dogs are to follow along. I don’t own a dog nor have I ever owned a dog so I probably couldn’t tell you what each dog in the film is, but it’s not important to know. Each dog gets their own unique view of things and gets laughs because of it. Bug is a little dog with a big dog persona that lives on the streets. Randall Park’s Hunter is an emotional support animal who wanted to be a K9 and that drives his existence. Isla Fisher’s Maggie has been replaced by a younger, cuter dog by her social media driven owner. Ferrell’s Reggie learns from each dog and loves his new friends.
But make no mistake, just because this is a movie with talking dogs, THIS IS NOT A MOVIE FOR KIDS. Yes I’m screaming that because people brought children to see this when I saw it. This is Rated-R for a reason, there is swearing, sex, they trip on mushrooms and do unspeakable things. If your kid wants to see the talking dog movie, don’t let them. It is raunchy and very much for adults.
I liked Strays more than I thought I would. I expected to like it, but as a non-dog person I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. There are laugh out loud moments like the previously mentioned mushroom scene and a hysterical mailman joke. The voice cast is fantastic and the movie balances itself out with heart and comedy. For the audience it is aimed at, it is…
RECOMMENDED!
The Nerds Templar 