The best parodies make fun not just of things the viewer knows, but things viewers don’t necessarily know they know. You’ve probably at least seen trailers for the kinds of sentimental “man and his dog” movies that tend to come out in January or February, but unless it’s your job, you may not have watched enough of them to register their cliches. Strays director Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and writer Dan Perrault (Netflix‘s American Vandal) definitely have, particularly Lasse Hallstrom‘s A Dog’s Purpose, which their movie directly references several times.
Dog movies generally play up the bonds between good dudes and their loyal pets, but rarely show the more challenging reality of owning a dog – the ball-licking, couch-humping, turd-eating, small-animal murdering, and the like that’s baked into their more undisciplined instincts. Imagine lots and lots of all that, combined with Will Forte as Doug, the worst dog owner of all time, and you’ve got Strays. If its protagonists were human, this would arguably be a grotesque, scatological porno. But they’re dogs, and they’re on a righteous mission…to bite Doug’s dick off.
Potty Mouths
It’s also probably the funniest movie of the year. But it is definitely not for kids, prudes, or anyone who feels compelled to count the profanities uttered. If you’ve ever had a dog, though, don’t pretend you’ve never seen them pop boners, try to attack smaller animals, lick up their own barf, or use inappropriate venues as bathrooms. Aside from the fact that these canines utter human curse words every few seconds, most of their behavior is stuff that happens a lot in real life. Maybe not the psychedelic mushrooms or the dick-biting so much.
Will Ferrell voices a small Border Terrier who believes he’s named Sh**bag, which he excidedly proclaims is “short for Dumbass Sh**bag!” He’s relentlessly happy because he’s completely oblivious to the fact that owner Doug is a drunk, pothead porn addict who only owns the pet so that his ex can’t have it. Sh**bag, who later gets renamed Reggie, thinks they have great games of catch together, when in fact each one is an attempt by Doug to get the dog lost and off his hands.
Then one day, Doug drives all the way into the nearest city and actually manages to get Reggie lost. Now on his own in a completely new environment, Reggie attracts both new enemies and friends with his impossibly naïve attitude. Equally diminutive Boston Terrier Bug (Jamie Foxx) takes him under his wing, introducing him to therapy dog (and permanently cone-of-shamed) Hunter (Randall Park) and the super-scenting Australian Shepherd Maggie (Isla Fisher). Collectively, they quickly realize Reggie has actually been abused, persuade him of it, and agree to help him with his newly decided de-donging revenge plot. It’s like The Incredible Journey, with human castration.
Canine Conversation
So much of Ferrell’s comedy as an actor derives from the contrast between his childlike voice and manner and his older-man body (exposed chest hair or otherwise). Here, using only his voice brings out a young-pup sincerity that might feel inherently ironic if we were to see his mugging face. Seeing a little dog with that voice feels like watching Elf if Buddy actually had the body of a child to match his mindset. So, when he swears, there’s more shock value to it once you’ve bought into Reggie as an innocent kid. There’s something similar at play when Rob Riggle shows up as a mean-spirited police dog. Riggle the actor often looks incongruously goofy, but his voice alone brings out the military background in him without contrasting facial expressions to spoil it. Bug’s full of crazy from the get-go, which suits Foxx just fine, as he sure does talk about (and do) a whole lot of pissing and humping.
It’s not all toilet and bedroom humor, despite the presence of a squirrel gang-bang. All sorts of weird things that dogs do come up, like the way they tend to walk in weird circles before finding a comfy sleep position. As do the dog movie tropes — our main characters periodically run into a “Narrator Dog” who clearly believes he’s the star of a different movie altogether, making observations like, “He thought he was teaching her, but she was teaching him.”
Junk Food
To anyone who has lately bemoaned the death of R-rated comedies, however, this one’s for you. And while the language and gross jokes may put off the more socially conservative, the ultimate conflict in the movie is surely one that can bring us all together. As if to prove the point, there’s even a notable cameo by an actor currently trying to burnish his faith-based credentials elsewhere. For who among us could disagree that anyone mean to a cute dog deserves a good shot to the crotch? (There’s a bit more subtext about toxic relationships, but it really doesn’t get that deep.) Forte deserves credit for being willing to play one of the most detestable heels of all time, without ever making a sincere play for sympathy. One almost worries for his crotch safety in public afterward.
Unsurprisingly, Phil Lord and Chris Miller were producers on Strays, making this yet another example of their trademark bad ideas (like 21 Jump Street or The LEGO Movie) turned into great movies. Only they would dare make fun of dog movies and somehow come away with one that’s arguably more truthful and sincere. Dogs really are totally gross in so many ways, and yet we, like this film, love them anyway.
Grade: 9/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 9 equates to “Excellent.” Entertainment that reaches this level is at the top of its type. The gold standard that every creator aims to reach.
