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| Images courtesy Universal Pictures |
Cute characters that seem child-friendly spouting obscenities in film and television: we’ve seen it all before. From South Park to Sausage Party, audiences are more than used to this trend in popular media by now – so much so that it’s rarely ever shocking anymore. Yet, somehow, the trend persists, and the end results are typically varied at this point. Some creators who employ this trope retread the same water; others actually manage to do something fresh with it and delight audiences. Strays is thankfully a bit more of the latter, and will leave many viewers who can handle a poop joke howling with laughter.
The premise of the film is simple yet sufficient. Doug (Will Forte) is a loser who begrudgingly gets a scrappy little puppy to appease his girlfriend, and once the couple breaks up, he tries to repeatedly ditch this adorable pooch they named Reggie (Will Ferrell). Reggie thinks it’s all a game and has a knack for finding his way home, but eventually Doug drives him far away to the city to get rid of him once and for all. Lost in an alleyway, poor Reggie’s still determined to get back to his owner and prove his worth as a “Good Boy” and soon stumbles across a jaded street pup named Bug (Jamie Foxx). Bug’s been through enough to know what’s up and finally talks some sense into Reggie, convincing him he’s been abandoned and needs to adapt to street life. Reggie accepts his bleak fate, but feels betrayed and vows to avenge himself. Determined with a new mission, Reggie and some newly found canine pals go on an R-rated Homeward Bound-esque road trip for revenge, and what ensues is one of the filthiest talking dog movies to ever hit the big screen.
What makes Strays work better than some of its “foul-mouthed cute things” comedy predecessors is the amount of heart behind it. Some films in that subgenre seem to think all they need is lots of swearing and a few jaw-dropping “I can’t believe they went there!” scenarios and they can slap a bow on it. While Strays has plenty of those moments, it manages to bring to the forefront concepts that make some of the children’s movies it’s mimicking great. The idea that friends can be “chosen family” and that underdogs can do anything they set their minds to are classic messages that inspire kids, but also work well for adults.
The film also takes it up a notch by tackling very mature concepts like the complexities of emotionally abusive, toxic relationships and how some people treat pets as disposable objects rather than lifelong commitments. Will Ferrell’s voice acting brings a naive vulnerability and sincerity to Reggie that make audiences immediately sympathize and care about him, making Doug’s treatment of him feel especially heinous. By no means is Strays a deep movie, but by dipping its toes into heavier concepts, it transcends the one-dimensional nature of many films of its ilk without ever becoming too sentimental or heavy-handed about it.
For some moviegoers, Strays might be a bit too formulaic and predictable at times. The
plot is fairly linear and any roadblocks the dog gang hits along their journey
are mostly easily resolved. The stakes are never really raised that much,
resulting in a fairly passive moviegoing experience. In many regards, the film
feels like a bunch of random sketches strewn together that don’t build upon
each other for the most part, reveling in different scenarios where dogs doing
naughty things can be turned into dirty jokes. There is also a sense that the
film has some missed potential and repeats itself too much with some of the
gags, resulting in the same punchline over and over again. Nevertheless, for
animal-loving, unpretentious audiences who want to be entertained and don’t
mind low-brow humor, Strays is a
great time, even when it’s all fluff.