The main selling point of Strays, the new comedy that sees Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx and more voice talking dogs, is the juxtaposition of adorable pups spewing out plenty of foul-mouthed jokes. Unfortunately, that schtick gets old faster than you would think.
The hard R comedy has tried to make a comeback in movie theaters in summer 2023 with No Hard Feelings and Joy Ride. Strays is the runt of the litter though in terms of quality; we'll see about box office, though, as neither No Hard Feelings of Joy Ride set the box office on fire.
Strays is about a Border Terrier named Reggie (Ferrell), who is abandoned by his neglectful owner Doug (Will Forte) far away from his home. He meets Bug (Jamie Foxx), a Boston Terrier stray that shows Reggie the joys of being off the leash and introduces him to more friends in Great Dane therapy dog Hunter (Randall Park) and Australian Shepherd Maggie (Isla Fisher). When Reggie realizes that Doug was not the great owner he blindly thought he was, he decides the best way to get revenge is to go back and take away the only thing that Doug truly loves, his penis.
If you've seen any of the trailers for Strays, you've seen most of the best jokes from the movie (including one of them ruining a surprise cameo that we won't spoil here in case you don't know about it). But even those not in the trailer fall flat more often than not. Getting a dog's spin on everyday things is a crutch they lean on frequently but only works a couple of times.
There are a few good bits sprinkled throughout, including a poke at movies where dog's serve as the narrator and a running gag involving bunnies, but they can't save the movie from being more of a bore than a laugh riot.
It even seems like the actors are bored by the material, as Ferrell, Park, Fisher and others in the cast seem to be just going through the paces when delivering the dialogue. The lone exception is Foxx, who brings an edge to Bug that easily makes him the stand out of the movie.
On the plus side, the filmmakers don't try to make Strays into a two-hour movie, but even at just over 90 minutes the movie still feels stretched thin. There are multiple filler scenes where the main group of dogs are just talking as they make their way to Doug's, throwing out jokes that don't elicit big laughs, though at least in some cases they do try to use them as callbacks later on. If these were funnier maybe I'd feel differently, but they're just more swings and misses.
Where we will give Strays credit is the movie has a heart to it that at least makes it tolerable. Reggie, Bug and the other main dogs form a close-knit pack that emphasizes the importance of family, found or otherwise. But the deeper message of the movie is about the importance of knowing when you are in an unhealthy relationship and having the courage, with the help of those closest to you, to break away.
Still, at the end of the day the Strays gimmick is just that, as dogs barking out swear words can only get you so far.
