Star-Studded Raunchy Comedy On Prime Goes Completely Off The Leash
Fans of raunchy adult comedy may recall seeing trailers for the film Strays last year, featuring a host of big-name talent lending their voices to a pack of foul-mouthed dogs. The film, which looks like something you might throw on for your kids at first glance, offers an off-the-walls joyride complete with copious cursing, chaotic K-9’s, and a staggering list of voice talent.
Though Strays failed to make a major splash during its theatrical run, as is par for the course with R-rated comedies, the film has found a new streaming audience on Amazon Prime Video.
The Dogs Of Strays
For those who missed out on this one upon release, Strays centers on a Border Terrier dog named Reggie, who is abandoned by his absolutely horrible owner, Doug. Despite suffering years of abuse at the hands of Doug, Reggie holds an upbeat and oblivious attitude in life, and fails to realize at first that he isn’t playing some kind of long-form search and return game. Things turn around for the dog when he encounters a group of life-long strays by the names of Bug, Maggie, and Hunter.
After a few nights on the street, Reggie starts to become accustomed to the harsh realities of the real world, as well as the abuse he suffered from his disgusting owner. These realizations make him bitter, but never detract from his whimsy, as Reggie hatches a bizarre plot to get revenge by tracking down Doug, and biting his genitals clean off. The strays are highly perturbed by this plan at first, though they ultimately agree in spirit, and accompany Reggie on his harrowing trip back to the suburbs to locate his evil owner.
A Bonkers Ride
I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Strays is one of the most bizarre movies I’ve ever seen in my life. It sort of offers a narrative commentary on abusive relationships, much in the same way that 2016’s Sausage Party offers a commentary on organized religion. It’s also needlessly violent, loaded with vulgar language and references to sex, and pretty funny, if you can get past the overall vibe that this feature film may have worked better as an SNL short.
Strays originally came together after comedy icons Phil Lord and Christopher Miller agreed to finance the project through their first-look deal with Universal Pictures. American Vandal series creator Dan Perrault penned the screenplay for the project, while filmmaker Josh Greenbaum joined to direct. Though Strays touts an array of comedic talent behind the camera, the biggest selling point before release was its massive cast of voice talent, including Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Randall Park, Rob Riggle, Sofía Vergara, Josh Gad, and Will Forte as Doug.
Streaming On Amazon Prime
REVIEW SCORE
Though I can definitively say that Strays is not for everybody, you can definitely gauge whether or not you’ll enjoy it by watching the trailer. Critics seem to have mixed opinions on it, earning a middling Rotten Tomatoes score of 53 percent.
Personally, I can’t say I would have spent the money to catch this one in the theater, though it’s a perfectly serviceable comedy to kill a quick 90 minutes. Those interested in checking out Strays today can be sure to stream the film on Amazon Prime Video.
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