Making Strays work had to have been hard. I'm not talking about wrangling all those dogs or the VFX work to make it look like their mouths are moving. No, it's a real challenge to take something intended for children but then tweak all the jokes for immature adults. Sausage Party pulled it off, The Happytime Murders did not. Strays may not have any lofty aims or deep reservoir of heart. But by god, I laughed harder and more frequently than just about any movie this year.
Will Ferrell voices Reggie, a border terrier frequently abused and neglected by Doug (Will Forte). This total loser ditches poor Reggie on the streets of Atlanta. Like Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey or any other number of lost animal movies, this determined pup will make his way back. Along the way, he'll meet friends, enemies and learn about himself. His guide in this world is Bug (Jamie Foxx), a Boston terrier whose tough exterior hides a lot of confusion, hurt and love. They pick up a Great Dane (Randall Park) and Australian shepherd (Isla Fisher), and the misfit quartet heads out to help Reggie seek revenge.
The film succeeds in the way a lot of my favorite comedies do: by having a wide variety of types of jokes, and letting any person (or canine) have the funniest line depending on the scene. While the film is chock-full of gross-out scenes, there are plenty of more high-brow bits too. These include a great gag about dogs failing to grasp knock-knock jokes and meta gags mocking inspirational dog movies like A Dog's Purpose and The Art of Racing in the Rain. The film also throws in some extended metaphors about toxic relationships and impostor syndrome. They may not work for you, but they provide something resembling substance to an otherwise ridiculous movie.
Strays could have been ruff. Fortunately, it's got just enough bite.
