Legally, we cannot say that Josh Greenbaum’s “Strays” is meant for children. The film, despite its dog-centric storyline, is rated R, and frequently shows dogs humping and getting high, and probably will scare kids into thinking Will Forte’s demonic dog-hating Doug is the epitome of the inevitable horrors of adulthood.
Oddly, “Strays” will likely play best to an adolescent audience, because its humor is geared firmly toward the 13-year-old demographic. But that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable. To the contrary, “Strays” plays like a slow morphine drip into an oblivion in which Jamie Foxx‘s voiceover acting as an adorably emotive Boston terrier named Bug is Oscar-worthy and Will Ferrell‘s signature “who, me?” tone (perfected in “Elf”) is on full display as adorable mutt Reggie, a pet who unwittingly escapes a toxic relationship with aforementioned loser Doug. Just let it wash over you.
That is, if you can get past the first ten minutes or so, which are ruff. The film opens with an introduction to Doug, a caricature of loser-dom: a would-be incel who (somehow, paradoxically) has two girlfriends, pays zero rent, and is obsessed with trimming his pubic hair whenever he’s not masturbating. His dog Reggie narrates that, because of Doug’s omnipresent obsession with his own genitalia, Reggie sometimes wishes he was a penis. (This is an actual line in the film, written by Dan Perrault.) Frankly, being an organ sounds sort of nice: appendages don’t have eyes or ears (or a brain) to witness just whatever the hell is unfolding on the big screen.
But then “Strays” pivots: it does away with human beings altogether, and soon, we’re blissfully following just the dogs. A newly-stranded and single Reggie befriends scrappy Bug, sweet Australian shepherd Maggie (Isla Fisher), and wise retirement home therapy dog Hunter (Randall Park), a Great Dane.
The foursome bond over boozing, complaining about their exes (AKA former owners), and explaining to Reggie the ins and outs of various dog park cliques. When Reggie realizes that he prefers dogs to humans, he concocts a revenge plan to get back at Doug by taking away man’s actual best friend: his penis. Yes, Reggie wants to “bite Doug’s dick off” with the help of his newfound friends, and sets out to navigate the way home to essentially castrate Doug.
And that’s when “Strays” becomes something a bit like a Lars von Trier film: It’s absurd, it’s existential, and it’s glorious. “Strays” is “The House That Jack Built” meets “Cats & Dogs,” with the plot of “Homeward Bound,” turned violent. There are multiple instances in which audiences will likely think what the actual fuck am I watching?, but isn’t the spectacle of cinema the whole point of theater-going nowadays?
Maggie and Hunter have a blossoming romance that is rooted in just how big Hunter’s penis is (yes, we’re talking about dog dicks, the amount of penis-based humor on display here is really something) and the dogs eat psychedelic mushrooms before slaughtering a family of bunnies. The best joke in the entire film hinges on a “Marley & Me” parody, with a sweet yellow Labrador retriever being the only witness to a charismatically handsome serial killer who stalks his next target at a carnival. And yes, that is a recurring quip, but that’s a good thing.
The film also boasts unexpectedly great voice acting; it’s not an exaggeration to say that Oscar winner Foxx thrives as the voice of Bug. The “Django Unchained” star grounds the film with his effortless joke delivery, and his performance beautifully plays off Ferrell’s gullible straight man Reggie. It’s the only thing that keeps “Strays” from being too juvenile, and this is a movie that includes a feces face-off (butt-off?) at an animal control center while Fergie’s “London Bridge” plays.
The ending of the film speaks to the wildly different tones and themes it attempts to tackle, as it oscillates between a loftier takeaway about emotional abuse survivors finding solace in shared stories as Reggie becomes the leader of local strays and…watching Maggie and Hunter hump at a dog park. Ah, cinema, going to the dogs.
Rating: C
A Universal Pictures release, “Strays” will be released in theaters on Friday, August 18.
