Strays: Film Review
If a gross-out adult comedy with talking dogs sounds like you’re cup of tea then look no further than Strays.
Josh Greenbaum‘s comedy tells the story of Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell), a Border Terrier who has been neglected by his drug addict owner Doug (Will Forte) but loves him anyway. One day, Doug abandons Reggie on the streets hours away from home and he learns how to become a stray from street-smart Boston Terrier Bug (Jamie Foxx). They team up with Australian Shepherd Maggie (Isla Fisher) and Great Dane Hunter (Randall Park) to get Reggie home so he can exact revenge on Doug.
I love dogs with all my heart but they can be disgusting creatures. This film mines that for all its worth. Your enjoyment of Strays will really depend on your tolerance for crude humour and thinking about canines as sexual beings. It will really test people’s boundaries – there’s sex, drugs, poop, vomit and so many F-bombs. I personally don’t enjoy anything involving vomit and poo onscreen so this is not the film for me.
Despite this, Strays is pretty funny and I laughed out loud a bunch. There are hilarious gags and lines of dialogue and well-observed references to dog behaviour. There are also a couple of spectacular needle drops that were so unexpected but brilliant that I howled with laughter. However, it crossed a line for me and went too far a few times. Those moments were so outrageous and gross that they made me uncomfortable.
According to Greenbaum, 95 per cent of the film features real dogs – and what a clever bunch of dog actors they are. Reggie is adorable and will make you melt with one look into his sorrowful eyes. Ferrell perfectly captures his innocence, optimism and naivete. Bug is his complete opposite – he is a potty-mouthed canine who has been hardened over the years. Foxx works so well for this “all bark and no bite” character, although he swears so often it lost its effectiveness after a while.
On the human side, kudos to Forte for playing such a douchebag and waste of space. Doug is a disgusting human and gets what’s coming to him in the best way.
The film’s hilarious moments are balanced out by its unfunny ones so it’s something of a mixed bag. It’s definitely one to watch with a crowd though.
In cinemas from Thursday 17th August