Dog movies are usually heart-warming and delightful, but Strays is a dramatically different breed. This outlandishly vulgar satire is about as far from Marley and Me as Kansas is from Oz, with more F-bombs than any comedy you’ll see for a while. In the hands of Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, the genre has (literally) been unleashed, as the film follows crass pups wandering the streets, seemingly without a care in the world.
Most dog movies begin with a pet getting lost and trying to find their owner, which leads to all sorts of ‘aw’-inducing moments along the way. As they gallop through golden fields, reminisce about their lives and make friends with local strays, you get a fuzzy feeling thinking about your own pets waiting for you at home. If you don’t have a pet, these movies might make you ponder the idea of buying one. Not Strays. Director Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) follows the furry friend formula expertly with a big exception– the Border Terrier protagonist wants to chew his owner’s penis off.
No, you didn’t read that wrong, that’s actually the premise of the movie. When Reggie (Ferrell) is abandoned by his human counterpart (Will Forte) in a sprawling city, he vows to make his way back to the countryside with extra-sharp teeth. He starts by learning a couple things about life, including how to pee on lamps, hump objects and get what he wants from humans. You know, the basics. Then he embarks on a quest that features mushrooms, feces, animal shelters, plastic cones and his new pals Bug (Foxx), Maggie (Isla Fischer) and Hunter (Randall Park), as he attempts to get back at his cruel owner.
The adventure–which gets off to a sloppy start–only gets better as the humor gets raunchier. In what may very well be the first R-rated dog show, a litter of canines keep you entertained with their foul-mouthed personas. Just as comedians use puppets and sketch comics use dated caricatures, these actors say anything they want…
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