Review: Strays – Funny Dogs

There’s just something funny about dogs. Almost any kind of situation can be made even funnier when it’s given from a dog’s perspective. Strays is a raunchy comedy that takes the very simple concepts of revenge and daily life and makes a funny story about coming to terms with reality and moving on. But mixed in with that is a cavalcade of goofy situations and over-exaggeration of nearly everything, as seen through the eyes of a dog recently turned stray. Although there are a few stumbles throughout the film, the majority of its plot will have you laughing throughout at some of the most ridiculous things that dogs go through.

Strays follows a dog named Reggie who is treated horribly by his owner Doug. After a series of unfortunate events that are inadvertently caused by him, Reggie is left out in the middle of a city by Doug alone. By chance, he meets another stray dog named Bug, along with his friends Maggie and Hunter. After spending a short time with them, Reggie comes to realize how horrible his former owner treated him and vows to take revenge on Doug by biting off the one thing his own value. What follows is a journey that drops the whole pack into crazy situations that test their friendship, as well as some ridiculous moments of clarity.

A lot of the humor in Strays will push things far, going from silly to raunchy very fast. One moment the movie will have an entire conversation about dogs rolling around and relationships with humans, only to switch up to a crazy bit about masturbation. But the jokes, setups, and punchlines are surprisingly very funny. Even if you’re not a big fan of crude humor that pushes boundaries you’ll find a few things that are hilarious. It’s the fact that many of the conversations are happening between dogs makes the ridiculousness of it all seem even more outlandish than it should be, but still funny enough to stay for more.

Will Ferrell is the voice of Reggie, a dog who remains naive for the majority of the film until he comes to a big realization. His funniest moments come from innocent reactions and moments where he can play off any of the other dogs. But as he gets wiser to what is happening, there’s a boost of confidence and boldness that compliments his good nature. The other dogs that Reggie meets on his journey are just as goofy and funny as he is.

Randall Park and Isla Fisher are the voices of Hunter and Maggie; two dogs with a ton of sexual tension between them. One is a failed police dog forced into wearing a cone, while the other is a reserved dog with an incredible sense of smell. Both of them are funny companions that have their own quirks that linger throughout the story, with a few key moments that let them shine in a goofy, yet heartwarming fashion.

 By far the best voice in the whole movie belongs to Jamie Foxx as Bug. Every line from him is delivered with a level of commitment that feels real, but incredibly funny in the best way possible. Between the snide remarks and reactions from him to other dogs, Bug is hilarious in almost every situation he finds himself in.

The times when the movie takes time to show some of the more mundane, Bug manages to make them funnier with his unexpected statements. Seeing a dog freak out over seeing its reflection is so much funnier when you’re hearing Jamie Foxx’s voice cuss out the reflection. While there are a few scenes where things get much more serious and emotional, they aren’t as strong as the scenes where comedy is the focus.

This is because the dramatic scenes in the movie are not as strong as everything else. Going from moments that are ridiculous and funny straight into drama can be jarring, but passable if the drama works out well. In Strays, however, some of the drama between the dogs comes off a bit forced and out of place. Some of the things that are brought up midway were addressed towards the beginning, so it’s weird to see them brought up again later. Had these scenes been given a better reason or set up for when they occur, it wouldn’t be that bad to include them as a break from the comedy. But as is they feel more like gaps in the comedy that mess with the momentum of the whole story.

But when the bigger things in Strays pay off, they really pay off. One thing Strays does well is wrapping up all of the details it brings up by the end. Jokes that are set up early on have a satisfying conclusion when the story comes to an end, with a few twists and turns along the way. At the same time, the movie also isn’t afraid to get graphic when it needs to be, not aimlessly. Certain jokes just wouldn’t work as well the movie wasn’t allowed to fully commit to how ridiculous the bits could be. And luckily, they’re great jokes that end up being hilarious.

Strays is a movie that is a lot better than you realize. Despite the few parts that don’t come together as well, the comedy is what makes this film work. The writing for the jokes is solid and will make just about anyone laugh, especially if you have even the slightest knowledge about dogs. Those who are not big fans of raunchy humor may not enjoy the movie as much as other people, but there is still plenty of great jokes that will click with anyone. It’s a tough world out there with many harsh reality checks, but as this movie shows, it’s so much funnier with dogs.

What do you think about Strays? Will you be checking it out anytime soon? What is your favorite kind of dog? Tell us your thoughts about everything down below in the comment section!