TL;DR – While some moments made me laugh, and the film grossed me out in the places they expected it to, I found the ending left a bad taste in my mouth.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Warning – This film depicts scenes of abuse.

Strays Review –

Comedies are always the most challenging films to review because while all movies are subjective, humour is the most personal form of art you can get. Point and case, our film today, where half the audience sat in disgust, and the others were laughing with all their hearts. With that in mind, let us dive into Strays.

So to set the scene, Reggie (Will Ferrell) is a little mutt that lives with Doug (Will Forte). Reggie loves Doug, and Doug hates Reggie. When Doug is given an eviction notice, he starts playing a game with Reggie where he plays Fetch and Fuck. He drives Reggie far away from his house, throws a ball, and then utters the expletive when Reggie eventually finds his way home. After this happens repeatedly, Doug finds a different tactic and drives Reggie to a city a long way away. Reggie is lost and finds some friends in Bug (Jamie Foxx), Maggie (Isla Fisher), and Hunter (Randall Park), who help him realise that he has been abandoned. He is a stray. But now it is Reggie’s time to get some revenge.

Okay, let’s rip that band-aid off and be clear from the start That This Is Not A Film To Bring Your Children To. You would think that the rating would be enough to make that clear, but this has a vibe where parents will go, ‘Oh, the fun talking animal film’. This is a profoundly profane and disgusting film at times, all by design. It is where they mine the humour they bring to the table, which works in places. However, you will look away from the screen in horror and wonder, ‘Did they just do that’.

One of my big fears coming into this film is that all the funny moments would be in the trailer, and I am glad to say that this is not the case. I think those who had not seen the trailer and did not see the mushroom scene beforehand got more of a laugh, but there was a lot held back that you never felt short-changed. There was a whole sequence with toys that left people in stitches, and I like how they incorporated a dog’s perspective into the film, like the use of fireworks. This film’s blend of dog actors and digital manipulation works exceptionally well. You get entirely taken into this film because of the many performances.  

However, I found the film’s end profoundly confronting; to discuss this, there must be [SPOILERS] ahead. Thought the movie, there is this illusion to an abusive relationship, expanding to straight-up domestic abuse. This is compounded by some weird sexual elements, which is odd even for this genre. All of this leads to the framing of the film’s climax, which was profoundly off-putting and verging on upsetting. You could feel half the audience disengage at that point and the other half in raptures. I am not sure how your mileage will vary.

In the end, do we recommend Strays? Personally, no, no, I can’t. However, my audience had a good time, so this one might be on you. If you liked Strays, we would recommend to you Cocaine Bear.    

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Strays?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Strays
Directed by – Josh Greenbaum
Written by – Dan Perrault
Music by – Dara Taylor
Cinematography by – Tim Orr
Edited by – David Rennie, Sabrina Plisco & Greg Hayden
Production/Distribution Companies – Lord Miller Productions, Picturestart & Universal Pictures.
Starring – Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Randall Park, Will Forte, Brett Gelman, Rob Riggle, Josh Gad, Sofía Vergara, Jamie Demetriou, Greta Lee, Jimmy Tatro, Harvey Guillén, Jack De Sanz, Philip Morris, David Herman, Jaquita Tale, Charity Cervantes, Jade Marie Fernandez, Mikayla Rousseau, Mike Dolphy, Aven Lotz, Hannah Alline & Garrett Hines
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 14A; Germany: 16; New Zealand: R; United Kingdom: 15; United States: R