This box office has provided plenty of family-friendly options for moviegoers this summer, but when Will Ferrell’s new talking-dog comedy Strays hits the big screen on August 18, parents should fight the urge to bring the kids along. Audiences are apparently in for some foul language as terrier Reggie (Ferrell) joins up with a band of misfit dogs to seek revenge on his former owner Doug (Will Forte). Critics have been able to screen the movie, so they’re here to share their expert opinions on what we can expect from the R-rated comedy. And yes, there will be humping.
Will Ferrell will be joined by Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher and Randall Park as the voices of the four-legged characters. Director Josh Greenbaum allowed the cast to record together to take full advantage of their comedic chemistry, so let’s see what the critics have to say. In CinemaBlend’s review of Strays, Eric Eisenberg says the canine performances are impressive, if not hilarious, and the movie is at its best when leaning into its R-rating. However, it relies too much on dog cliches, he says, giving it 3 out of 5 stars and writing:
The movie has no shortage of ambition, as it executes its feature-length story and action with four real dogs as its protagonists, but it ends up being more impressive than funny. It has its comedic bright spots, including a satisfying finale, but it relies far too heavily on pointing at commonly recognized idiosyncrasies and aims consistently at low-hanging fruit. Far too much of it is comparable to a live-action remake of The Secret Life Of Pets (albeit with more obscene language and behavior).
Neil Smith of GamesRadar rates the movie 2 out of 5 stars, saying the movie quickly loses its humor amidst its jokes about peeing, pooping and humping. The critic says:
There is something rather admirable in director Josh Greenbaum’s go-for-broke approach, one that sees his hounds urinate over each other, pleasure themselves against garden ornaments, and flip out on magic mushrooms. Long before Brett Gelman’s canine-catcher is called upon to roll around in a pound’s worth of doggie-doo, though, you might be wishing you were Homeward Bound yourself.
Leigh Monson of AV Club agrees that there is humor to be found, but in the end Strays is not less tired than movies like Homeward Bound that it seeks to ridicule. Monsoon gives it a C+, saying:
Perhaps there was always a ceiling on how good Strays could be, with most of its promise baked into the novelty of its premise and not its potential to find new jokes to tell within that premise. For what it’s worth, Strays is nominally funny, but in a way that rarely provokes genuine laughs, just chuckles of appreciation. It’s a breezy, inconsequential film that will drip from the wrinkles of your brain like slobber from a chew toy, but as a late-summer distraction, maybe that’s enough.
A.A. Dowd of IGN agrees with the critic above, ranking the film an “Okay” 6 out of 10. Strays’ bark is worse than its bite, Dowd writes, pointing out that this movie is just as formulaic and sentimental as the movies it’s looking to lampoon. He continues:
In the end, Strays has its kibble and eats it, too. Like any classic parody, it mauls with affection: You can chuckle at a Marley & Me reference and still want to adopt the characters – especially given how Greenbaum, in his truest nod to the history of the genre, employs real trained dogs, albeit with the CGI mouths necessary to make it look like a terrier is cursing a blue streak. Through the licking and lipstick jokes, another ode to the special bond between pets and owners emerges. It warms the heart as vigorously as it humps the leg.
Brian Truitt of USA TODAY, however, enjoys the “hilarious, heartwarming and outrageously filthy” dog-centered comedy, giving it 3 out of 4 stars. The humor is matched by an emotional storyline, with Truitt saying Strays is “like Homeward Bound with masturbation jokes and randy squirrels.” He writes:
Strays is definitely a treat, especially for dog lovers who will howl with laughter and also cry at its empathetic understanding that we all, furry or otherwise, just want to be loved. And after seeing it, a lick from your best friend means more than ever before.
It sounds like there are plenty of laughs (and plenty of filth) in the upcoming Will Ferrell comedy, as long as audiences aren’t looking for any groundbreaking takes on a dog’s sensibilities. Overall the ratings seem to fall mid-range, with Strays holding a Rotten Tomatoes score of 56 percent from 43 critics’ responses as of this writing.
If you’d like to check this one out in theaters, you can do so starting Friday, August 18. You can also check out our 2023 Movie Release Schedule to see what other offerings are coming soon.
