[film pulls thoughts out of my head and adds them to the film’s dialogue in real time]
Story: Reggie is a Very Good Boi whose human owner Doug is certifiable garbage. So one day when Doug abandons Reggie, Reggie makes new pupper friends…and vows revenge.
Genre I’d put it in: Stupid Films That Think Bodily Function And Anatomy Jokes Are Peak Hilarity
Release Date: 2023
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Typical juvenile Pee Pee Poo Poo humor, but otherwise original.
Gotta say: If you like an hour and a half of poop, pee, and peen jokes (aka The Pre-teen Holy Trinity)? Well honey, this is the movie for you! There. That’s my review. [Editor Me says we haven’t reached a respectable word count] Okay! So, Strays. There are two things that had me rolling my eyes during this screening. One, this whole “kiddy film for stoners” vibe isn’t my jam. Two, this film isn’t very good. Yes, I can recommend films I don’t particularly gel with, if they’re competently made. But, as with the first Borat? I see what they’re trying to do with Strays. They just didn’t do it well.
If you’re one of the folks who live for this kind of thing? I’m jealous. Because my viewing was an endurance test, with me trying to see how much literal shit I could see on the big screen without running out screaming. Not even the two strong as hell cocktails I enjoyed pre-show did anything to make me more willing to deal with this nonsense. Strays is a film that’s marketed for adults, but throws a big ol’ wink and nod to their real demographic, 12 year olds obsessed with “dirty stuff”.
Just in case you think I’m a prude? Hi! You must be new. And FWIW, I enjoy the hell outta Team America: World Police, Deadpool, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and many other tee-hee films. But Strays director Josh Greenbaum can’t do much with a storyline that’s basically The Incredible Journey filled with dumbasses. There is one great scene though; the gang gets hungry during their road trip, and eats a huge amount of woodland mushrooms. Their trip isn’t a spoiler – it’s featured prominently in the trailers for the film – but it is magnificent. It shows what the Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar could have done if Greenbaum had been given better overall material. Pour one out for Strays, y’all.
Dan Perreault is a relative newbie, and boy howdy, it shows. No, not because the subject matter isn’t to my taste. It’s that the plotting is predictable and dull, with 6th grade humor shoved in, in the hopes of baffling the audience with lowbrow stupidity. Will Farrell pitches his speaking voice into his best “I do in fact, sound like Ryan Reynolds” octave. Maybe so he can tell folks it wasn’t actually him in this film? I’d believe that. And yes, the cast is chock-a-block with comedic stars…but as they’re giving dreck to work with 95% of the time? They’re wasted. And in the interest of not wasting my time any further? I’m putting this review to bed, with this last thought:
There are moments where this story could shift into a heartfelt look at throwaway pets, with a good solid comedy backing it up. But those moments are too few, and surrounded by too many scatalogical jokes that run on way too long for them to be funny. They, like the film, are just too much in the worst way.
#Protip: Wanna know about the doggos that star in this film? This peek is a much better use of your time. Plus? WOOK AT THE DOGGOS.
