“Strays” additionally challenges the very thought of canines being man’s finest pal, as a substitute providing a glance into a lifetime of a canine who’s man’s largest enemy. There’s nothing on the earth that Reggie (Will Ferrell) loves greater than Doug (Will Forte), his pot-smoking, deadbeat proprietor, who solely saved Reggie after a break-up as a result of he needed his ex-girlfriend to be sad. Doug cannot stand the sight of Reggie and does all the pieces in his energy to make Reggie’s life depressing. He even tries to do away with Reggie, regularly driving him distant, throwing a tennis ball, after which driving away earlier than Reggie can get again within the automobile, hoping to be completed with him for good. However each time, Reggie returns.
That sounds miserable, would not it? However what “Strays” does completely is to funnel this by way of the angle of Reggie, mining an upsetting state of affairs for darkish and deliciously humorous comedy. The opening sequence, narrated by Ferrell, lets us in on how a lot enjoyable Reggie finds his life, utterly oblivious to the disdain radiating off his proprietor. The scene encapsulates the innocence of canines whereas concurrently providing twisted, stunning observations on human and animal habits. It is the form of factor “Strays” does brilliantly all through the movie, and for those who thought the perfect moments of the movie had been all within the trailer, relaxation assured that it solely scratches the floor of probably the most stunning motion pictures of the yr.
It isn’t lengthy earlier than Reggie loses the sport with Doug (he calls it “fetch and f***”) and finds himself deserted within the metropolis. It is there he finds Bug (Jamie Foxx), a tiny pug who talks a giant recreation. He introduces Reggie to the world of stray canines, and presents him a brand new ethos on life — as a substitute of dwelling to please man, it is time Reggie lives to do no matter he needs. Bug additionally connects Reggie along with his pals Maggie (Isla Fisher), a assured sniffer canine ignored by her proprietor in favor of a younger pet, and Hunter (Randall Park), a candy, delicate, well-hung (a legitimately necessary plot level) canine who works in an outdated people residence. The 4 kind a quick friendship, bonding over a love of consuming their very own poop, a hatred of fireworks, and a need to dwell life on their very own phrases.
I can not actually overstate what a pleasant shock “Strays” is. Many comedies of late provide a continuous flurry of jokes for the primary couple of acts, earlier than acquiescing to emotional achievement, leaving the laughs behind in favor of character growth. Whereas “Strays” does take just a few beats to get emotional and faucet into its characters’ histories, it by no means stops being the ridiculous, foolish, and knowingly silly film it’s. And that is an all-too-rare, however completely great factor. “Strays” is rarely higher than when it leans into getting laughs, and it by no means actually stops going for the jugular. For its blissful 93 minutes, it by no means stops being an all-out comedy.