Strays
Directed by Josh Greenbaum
★★
Caption (from left) Reggie (Will Ferrell), Maggie (Isla Fisher), Hunter (Randall Park) and Bug (Jamie Foxx) in Strays, directed by Josh Greenbaum.
Sex, violence, drugs, and good boys (not to be confused with the film Good Boys, though they are both extremely similar). The new film from Universal Pictures, Strays, comes from director Josh Greenbaum and highlights a ridiculously strong voice cast with the likes of Will Ferrell, Jamie Fox, Isla Fisher, and Randall Park.
Strays follows Reggie (Ferrell), an oft-abused pup with a heart of gold who tags along with a group of dogs to seek revenge on his owner for mistreating him. It positions itself as an outrageous comedy full of raunchy jokes, shocking visuals, and foul language.
It is a well-known fact that Hollywood often recycles premises, and sometimes, this gifts viewers with unique and refreshing interpretations of formulas and tropes. Strays opts to tackle the sex comedy premise, and since the late 2000’s release of Superbad many films have tried to replicate the acclaim that film received, but when sex comedies got grading, they found ways to reinvent it. First, Deadpool mixed the tired formula with the Superhero genre. Then, Good Boys said what if we kept the same premise, but it was from the point of view of a bunch of middle school-aged kids. Now, Strays tackles the formula…but with dogs.
Sure, who doesn’t want to see a foul-mouthed Boston Terrier voiced by Jamie Foxx spouting off vulgar insults at other dogs and humans, but where films like Good Boys and Deadpool succeed, Strays falls flat. In comparison, the former two films weave in real-world emotion and have a strong sense of heart and written merit to back them up. Strays, on the other hand, feel like they had an idea for a funny premise and then stuck with the first draft.
It is unfortunate that the film boasts such talent both in front of and behind the camera. Greenbaum, whose last film Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar, was a fun and unique surprise, balancing both heart and camp perfectly. Unfortunately, Greenbaum seems to be coasting on the premise alone rather than diving past surface level here.
There are a few laugh-out-loud moments throughout, but unfortunately, the film's laughs are bogged down by stilted dialogue, shoddy CGI, and lackluster forward momentum. It may do the trick for some dog lovers, but for most, this dog don’t hunt.
