Strays Movie Review

Will Ferrell’s comedic outings have not been as prominent on our screens in recent years. You could argue in the mid-2000s to the early 2010s he was the biggest comedy star on the planet. With hit after hit bringing in the dough at the box office. We had films such as Anchorman: The Legend of Burgundy, Wedding Crashers, Old School, Kicking and Screaming, The Other Guys, Land of the Lost, The Campaign, and the list goes on. Now 2023, he has returned to the big screen with his latest comedy ‘Strays’ alongside Jamie Foxx. 

The film follows Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell), after he is abandoned by his owner, Doug (played by Will Forte), Reggie embarks (no pun intended) on a quest to make it back to his owner Doug, but along the way meets his new friends, a bunch of stray dogs Bug (voiced by Jamie Foxx), Maggie (voiced by Isla Fisher) and Hunter (voiced by Randall Park). This rag tag group of strays discover what family really means along the way with crazy antics, crude humour, and a lot of laughs.

I had a great time with Strays. Whilst its premise is very similar to films like the Homewood Bound series, it is clearly having fun with this idea, subverting the usual tropes of a talking dog film, and parodying this concept. The characters are a lot of fun here, with the standout for me being Jamie Foxx’s Bug. He is one ugly dog, but man is he cute. That may sound contradictory, but he is adorable in an ugly kind of way, owners of chihuahuas know what I am talking about.

The furry group of characters are all great together. They are all given distinct character traits and personalities based on the breed of dog, which I found to be fun and something all dog lovers will appreciate. The cast all do a great job here as well, playing into these character types, and clearly having a lot of fun with the material. The supporting players here include, Isla Fisher, Randall Park, Josh Gad, Rob Riggle, Sofia Vegara, Jimmy Tatro, Harvey Guillen, David Herman, Greta Lee, Will Forte, Brett Gelman, and a fun cameo from Dennis Quaid, after his participation in both ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ and ‘A Dog’s Journey’. Part of the fun with this one is trying to work out whose voice that is.

‘Strays’ is one of the best comedy films of 2023. It’s funny, full of heart and memorable characters, whilst never scarifying its sense of humour. It may be a little too crude for some, but for others, the film will provide belly laughs. It’s a movie made for dog lovers, and they nail it! Strays is out just in time for Christmas, so follow the link below and secure your copy of Strays on either DVD or Blu-ray!

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Buy Strays on DVD or Blu-ray here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here