Strays is your typical, feel-good film about dogs with a raunchy twist.
Spoilers Ahead
Directed by Josh Greenbaum, the viewers are taken on a journey through Reggie’s (Will Ferrell) perspective. After one too many games of “Fetch and F***k,” Reggie finds himself a stray and left to navigate the world by himself. That is until he meets Bug (Jamie Foxx), Maggie (Isla Fisher), and Hunter (Randall Park); there, they embark on a journey of friendship but, more importantly, revenge.
At the beginning of the film, Reggie wants nothing more than to get the approval of his owner Doug (Will Forte), though Doug blames Reggie for everything wrong in his life. Once Reggie realizes he gave his all and was the best dog he could be for Doug, his sole mission is to find Doug and bite his penis off.
Like most whacky film missions, this adventure comes without challenges. Viewers can expect solid laughs, especially when an eagle swooped up the dogs, ate mushrooms that sent them on into a spiral that ended in a dead bunny, or had a group poop off after being captured by guards and thrown into the dog pound.
At one point in the film, Reggie faces a dilemma: stay with the other dogs to complete the painful mission, or leave his new friends to go back home to Doug and win his affection back. Ultimately, Reggie retreats home to Doug, whose welcome is anything but friendly. Instead of ushering him in with open arms, Doug attempts to kill Reggie, but not before his friends step in to help Reggie destroy Doug. They send him on a destructive chase around the house, crap in his face, and yeah, you guessed it, bit his penis off.
Throughout the main plot, we see each dog overcome their own hurdles, thus causing a lack of dull moments. Bug has to get over the sadness of not having an owner after his original owner tried to have Bug put down. Hunter had a failed stint in police dog training, forcing him to become a therapy dog, and though he helps others get through their anxiety, he hangs onto his with his cone. Maggie is the dog of a social media influencer who pushed Maggie aside after a cuter, younger dog came into the household. After holding in her frustration, Maggie learns to find her talents and confidence from within.
In the end, the dogs seem to get their dreams. Hunter ditches the cone for confidence, so much so that he expresses his feelings (and sexual tension) for Maggie, who seems to feel the same. Maggie becomes a police dog after proving her senses are far beyond any male dogs in the lineup. Bug finds a new home and is now the companion of a new little girl. He now has no fears other than being unable to hump the couch.
As for Reggie, he decided to remain a stray dog and is now a mentor for other strays, giving viewers that full-circle ending.’
Although the dogs in Strays are your usual adorable family-film-looking pups, they are anything but wholesome, and this movie isn’t family-friendly. There’s a whole lot of swearing, humping and interesting images, so leave the kids at home and make Strays your next date-night comedy.
Strays will be available in all theaters on August 18. Check out the trailer below.
