STRAYS
Starring: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Will Forte, Isla Fisher, Randall Park, Josh Gad, and Rob Riggle
Director: Josh Greenbaum
NICK
Growing up, talking animal films (mainly for kids) were a dime a dozen. Although they're less common now, they still feel overdone. Strays tries to combat this by going the adult route – think what Sausage Party did for animated films - and it does its job in providing the laughs. However, like many comedy films, the trailers really do the movie a disservice by undermining many of the jokes. The voice performances are good, and the speaking visuals aren't off-putting, yet there’s just a familiarity with the content that made Strays feel like I’d seen it before. Something is missing here, I just can’t pinpoint what.
ADRIANO
Strays does nothing to reinvent the comedy genre. In fact, Strays is pretty stale in terms of story and writing. But I get the sense the goal was “let’s make a funny, R-rated comedy about dogs,” and you know what? They succeeded. This film may not be for the squeamish, but it made me laugh a lot, thanks in part to some great voice work from the cast. To top it all off, it’s got a decent amount of heart as well. So, while it’s nothing to write home about, it’s dependable if you want a good laugh.
QUENTIN
I imagine that Strays, which is known by the much better name Doggy Style in Germany, is probably pretty hilarious to someone who hasn’t seen many comedies, be it because they were sheltered or they are just young. I admit there was a time when I would have found it laugh-out-loud funny. But now? It’s merely breathe-a-bit-harder-through-your-nose amusing. This is mostly because the jokes are obvious (did you know dogs don’t like mailmen?), or worse, they are ripped directly from Family Guy. As if it pooped on the rug, this Homeward Bound with Sausage Party sensibilities should have its nose rubbed in it.
JACOB
Strays is hardly the disaster Letterboxd would have you believe, but the juvenility of its overly repetitive humor is what keeps it from being anything more than surface-level. The voice cast doesn’t exactly stand out, but the script also doesn’t offer them any opportunities to really shine. The characters are one-note at best, only one or two jokes made me chuckle, and it all plays out exactly as one thinks it will. That said, if you enjoyed Good Boys on any level, this is more or less the same thing, just with dogs. Truthfully, I didn’t hate it.
AMARÚ
Dogs are the cutest and bestest things in this world, and 95% of the reason why Strays is getting this rating. As the movie progresses, it moves away from the try-hard raunch that has stifled Will Ferrell’s worst outings to focus more on the dog-related humor. The lewd gags get a few good laughs, but they work best when having a clever connection to our four-legged friends. Once the incessant cursing stopped being there just to be there and started adding to the surprisingly heartfelt story of worth and friendship, Strays moved from almost unbearable to unexpectedly alright.
PHILL
Strays is one of the worst films to be released in 2023. This review may seem cynical, but for a film that is supposed to be a comedy, it’s just plain sad, both for the characters’ journeys AND the state of comedy as a whole if this is considered funny enough to be given a worldwide release. It’s grotesque and nauseating white noise, with almost every joke involving dog’s genitalia or dogs going to the toilet. All of that is thrown in with some cheap cameo choices that only work if you’ve seen the films they’re very lightly referencing, making Strays heinously terrible.
