Backstreet Dogs

This is a great comedy, it's an even better dog movie. As a dog lover, I immediately hated Doug, the owner of Shi-err Reggie. The sad reality is that there are millions of those people. Folks who have zero business even being around the greatest animals on earth. But that's another discussion. I saw Strays tonight on its first day in theaters and loved it. It is a foul, raunchy, subversive, brilliant ride and I loved every minute of it. Yes, there are a few things that could be improved but not many. The ending is actually perfect and the mid credit scene is hilarious. Ignore the morons and see this movie.

As a pet lover, seeing the trailer for this I knew I was going to have to see it asap. A funny film in the mould of the Ted movies, so don't expect subtlety, expect lots of crude humour.

The dogs are cute and we get a nice balance of characters (and breeds for that matter), and Reggie the lead Border Terrier is super cute. His owner, less so, treating him badly and trying to abandon this lovable and gullible dog!

The movie has a warm heart at its core, and as we experience all the escapades of the dogs we root for them to achieve their goal. I guess you need to really know or own a dog to really find it funny, and being adult in nature it has limited its market perhaps resulting in its poor box office takings.

None the less, I thought it was fun and enjoyable and would recommend it to have a laugh as a light movie with a beer in hand.

7/10.

I saw Strays at an early fan screening and there were a total of 10 people in my auditorium. This is the reason we barely see comedy movies any more, let alone R-rated ones that don't hold back.

Strays is fun and funny from beginning to end. The hit rate on the comedic attempts is high. Most of it made me laugh out loud. The rest made me at least smile. Comedy is subjective, and I personally love this type of crass comedy.

The casting is on point. I enjoyed all of the voice acting. But the one casting choice that I adored was Will Forte. I realized how much I miss him after rewatching MacGruber recently. He's absolutely perfect for the role.

For a relatively silly movie and concept, it does a surprisingly good job of getting you emotionally invested, even if you're not a dog person. After the movie I couldn't wait to see my cats.

(1 viewing, early fan screening 8/16/2023)

This is certainly an R-rated comedy featuring dogs as the main characters. These dogs don't just cuss, they are, in many instances, deeply foul-mouthed. I don't have a problem with language, but much of the humor of this film is really predicated on us finding the image of a cute little dog cussing with the best of 'em. Will that make you laugh? If so (and nothing wrong with that), you will like the film more than I did. I found it a bit tiring and uninventive. Same with the poop jokes...a little goes a long way.

On the other hand, there are some amusing bits about the odds things dogs do, like turning around in circles a bunch before laying down. Those uniquely "doggy" gags work much more effectively.

The movie is fitfully funny and I admired the mixture of real dogs with CGI mouths. Some convincing work there. The voicework is generally solid. I can't exactly recommend it, but you know...it was an enjoyable if forgettable visit to the movies.

Strays might not necessarily be the most refined comedy out there, but it sure is funny.

It is essentially a road trip movie but with dogs instead of people, as Will Ferrell's Reggie teams up with three other dogs to find the owner who abandoned him and exact revenge.

It's a neat set up and a funny perspective for a movie, which leads to lots of great scenarios and comedic moments. It has some truly brilliant one liners and jokes that will have you laughing out loud numerous times. They really do use the dog angle to its fullest extent with some brilliantly sharp and witty dialogue. It is also refreshing to see that the best gags weren't spoiled in the trailer which a lot of comedies have started doing of late!

The comedy is elevated by the brilliant voice acting. You'd expect nothing less from a comedy great like Will Ferrell who is of course superb, but it's Jamie Foxx who steals the show with some truly inspired voice acting. Isla Fisher and Randall Park are great too, with the four of them making a fun foursome to follow around for 90 minutes.

I do think at times it goes a little over the top and drags out some of its jokes a little too long, but these are minor issues really.

On the whole, Strays is a fun, fresh, and most importantly a funny comedy that will be sure to entertain.