[FILM REVIEW] STRAYS Review (2023)

Summary: An abandoned dog teams up with other strays to get revenge on his former owner.

Year: 2023

Cinema Release Dates:  17th August 2023 (Australia), 31st August 2023 (Thailand), 18th August 2023 (UK), 18th August 2023 (USA)

VOD Release Dates: TBA

Country: USA

Director: Josh Greenbaum

Screenwriter: Dan Perrault

Cast: AJ Bernard (Liam (voice)), Keith Brooks (Steve), Charity Cervantes (Jenna) Jack De Sanz (Munchkin (voice)), Jamie Demetriou (Chester (voice)), Jade Fernandez (Ashley), Will Ferrell (Reggie (voice)), Isla Fisher (Maggie (voice)), Will Forte (Doug), Jamie Foxx (Bug (voice)), Josh Gad (Gus (voice)), Brett Gelman (Willy (voice)), Harvey Guillen (Shitstain (voice)), Tinashe Kajese (Cathy), Greta Lee (Bella (voice)), Ava Lotz (Emma), Dexter Masland (James), Phil Morris (Bubsy (voice)), Hedy Nasser (Carly), Randall Park (Hunter (voice)), Dan Perrault (Dr. Hagen), Dennis Quaid (Birdwatcher), Rob Riggle (Rolf (voice)), Mikayla Rousseau (Riley), Jimmy Tatro (Finn the Rottweiler (voice)), Sofia Vergara (Dolores The Couch (voice))

Running Time: 93 mins

Classification: MA15+ (Australia), TBC (Thailand), 15 (UK), R (USA)

OUR STRAYS REVIEWS

David Griffiths’ Strays Review

Over the past few years the amount of laugh out loud comedies that have been released in cinemas has been pretty low. It’s strange given that with the way the world is today what most people probably need to do is laugh – well now the time to laugh has come in the form of director Josh Greenbaum’s (Becoming Bond) brand new comedy Strays.

Now let’s get something out there straight away. Yes, Strays is a film about cute and fluffy dogs but no this certainly isn’t a film for kids. Think of the classic film Ted – well this is Ted with dogs and if you are an adult the humour is as funny as hell.

The film is told through the eyes of cute bundle of fluff Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell – Barbie) who has had the unfortunate experience of having to live with the totally disgusting loser, Doug (Will Forte – Nebraska). Doug hates Reggie and only kept him out of spite, in return though Reggie loves Doug no matter how much he mistreats him.

Tired of having the dog around Doug ends up dumping Reggie in the city and it is there that Reggie meets the street tough dog Bug (Jamie Foxx – Django Unchained). While he at first refuses to believe that he has been abandoned Bug soon convinces Reggie that he is in fact now a stray.

Angry at what has happened to him Reggie decides that he wants revenge. He wants to find his way back to Doug and bite off a certain part of his male anatomy. Bug decides that he wants to help Reggie with his plan and soon recruits two of his friends, failed Police Dog Hunter (Randall Park – The Interview) and the once-pampered-but-now-mistreated Maggie (Isla Fisher – Wedding Crashers), to help with the plan.

In some ways Strays is a pretty strange film. The film’s general tone and humour makes it the kind of stoner comedy that Kevin Smith (Clerks) would be proud to create but on the flipside if you scratch under the surface of the film Strays actually touches on some pretty important and relevant themes.

While the film never preaches to its audience it does actually show, in the form of the relationship between Doug and Reggie, how easily somebody can stay in an abusive relationship because of the mis-guided belief that they are loved by their partner. It also explores themes of depression and abandonment and how the introduction of good friends can change somebody’s life for the better.

Perhaps the biggest message that audiences will take away from this film though is to treat your pets right. Amongst all the laughter in Strays is the strong message that dogs have feelings and deserve to be treated a lot better than they are by some humans. That in itself is a message that everybody needs to hear.

Like already mentioned though those themes are present and will sink in to its audience but above all it is easy to see that Greenbaum and his screenwriter, Dan Perrault (American Vandal), just wanted to deliver a fun movie for cinema goers and that is exactly what they do with Strays.

While the film might not be laugh a minute like Ted or Kevin Smith’s early work it does have its moment and there are times where you will certainly laugh out loud while you are watching it. Having said that though audiences should also be aware that most of the laughs come from toilet humour – so if you are expecting something high-brow then you may want to look elsewhere.

Perhaps the smartest scene of Strays though is actually a parody scene where the film pokes fun of that genre of films known as ‘narrator dog films.’ The twist that happens during the narrator dog scene here is a stroke of genius… as is the bunny scene (don’t worry you’ll understand that reference once you have seen the film).

The voice casting of Strays is also spot on. Randall Park does a great job bringing to life the anxiety and fears of Hunter while Will Ferrell and Isla Fisher have a lot of fun with the comedy they get to deliver for Reggie and Maggie. The scene-stealer here though is Jamie Foxx who seems to be channelling his character (we definitely can’t print the name here) from Horrible Bosses as he portrays the street-tough Bug.

While Strays may not be a film for everyone if you love stoner humour and being made laugh at things you shouldn’t then it is certainly worth a look. Strays will surprise you with some of the important messages it portrays to its audience but above all it will make you laugh.

David’s rating Out Of 5

Kyle McGrath’s Strays Review

Kyle’s rating Out Of 5

Alex First’s Strays Review

Rude, crude and at times funny, Strays is a hit and miss proposition.

Some of the physical comedy lands and some does not.

In between sight gags, there are flat patches and the transitions between scenes are not always seamless.

Reggie (the voice of Will Ferrell) is a mutt with a dirt bag of an owner, Doug (Will Forte), who treats the Border Terrier very poorly.

Reggie mistakenly believes that his good for nothing, bong addicted, lay about master cares for him, when nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, Doug repeated tries to dump Reggie, but no matter how far Doug drives, the dog always manages to find a way back, much to Doug’s infuriation.

So, the only thing for Doug to do is to transport Reggie ever further … ultimately, three hours away.

That is where Reggie meets other strays and befriends a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier named Bug (Jamie Foxx).

The pair starts hanging out together, along with Bug’s pals.

Maggie (Isla Fisher) is a whip smart Australian Shepherd with the best nose in the business, who has been sidelined by her owner’s cute, new puppy.

Hunter (Randall Park) is an anxious Great Dane, who failed as a police dog and now works as an emotional support animal for the elderly.

Around his head is a plastic cone, known as an Elizabethan Collar, which prevents him from scratching.

Maggie cares for Hunter and Hunter for her, but so far neither has acted upon their reciprocal feelings.

Truth be told, despite his new friends’ strong advice to ditch Doug forever, Reggie still harbours a strong desire to reunite with his lowlife owner.

A road trip ensues, with plenty of bumps along the way.

Dan Perrault has crafted a subversive comedy, which Josh Greenbaum directs.

It is likely to have most appeal to a young, adult – mostly male – audience.

All the dogs talk, even if humans can’t understand them.

The filmmakers have totally abandoned the idea of less is more.

Copious sexual references, inuendoes and exclamations are rooted (pun fully intended) to this production.

Apart from frequent use of the “F” word, there are “dick” jokes aplenty, while dog defecation is another mainstay.

Maggie is undoubtedly the nicest character in the piece and Fisher’s Aussie accent certainly stands out.

Jamie Foxx treats us to plenty of jive talking, while Will Ferrell paints Reggie as loyal and conflicted, while Randall Park exposes Hunter’s vulnerabilities.

Josh Gad is a winner in a small role as Gus, a Labrador Retriever who narrates his owner’s life.

Strays sets out to shock and it certainly achieves that, but for all its moments, I wanted and expected more.

What I needed to see was a greater bucket of laughs.

I found the film uneven in its plotting and that was disappointing. While the idea was sound, the execution was only mediocre.

Alex’s rating Out Of 5

Average Subculture rating Out Of 5

Other Strays Reviews:

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