Strays

Grade: B+

In 1989, Look Who’s Talking let us into a baby’s mind, to hear all his thoughts that nobody else could. 34 years later, Strays has dogs that can communicate with each other – and we, the audience, are privy to what they say. They know English words, and converse, but the humans in the movie can’t hear them. I wondered how they could be so well-spoken yet not know the correct terms for mountain or ferris wheel, but never mind. These dogs are foul mouthed, and definitely earn the movie its R rating, and Strays is delightful. In addition to being very funny, it has more depth and levels than the trailers let on. There are journeys and arcs. Characters have motivations.

Will Ferrell provides the voice of Reggie, who keeps coming back home after his deadbeat owner Doug (Will Forte) keeps trying to abandon him. Reggie thinks it’s a game. Finally Doug drives him 3 hours away and deposits him in a bad neighborhood in Atlanta (never named in the film, but I recognized the skyline). Here, he meets and befriends a few fellow strays: Bug (Jamie Foxx), Maggie (Isla Fisher), and Hunter the therapy dog (Randall Park). They conspire to help Reggie get back home, so he can bite off Doug’s most valuable possession.

I try to keep this website family friendly. Even if they would help explain plot points, there are so many lines that I don’t feel comfortable printing here – including the one that provided me with the biggest laugh. It’s when Reggie is describing his bandanna, and exactly how Doug used to use it. Ferrell is always a master at playing innocent, sincere, and blissfully oblivious. Foxx has lots of memorable quips, including when he notes that he has trouble understanding humans, especially the lightest-skinned ones. I don’t know how they make the dogs’ mouths move, but it’s so spot-on, deaf people might be able to read their lips and get all the dialogue.

The trailer for Strays primarily just shows funny stuff – and it is a hoot. But it’s not just a systematic series of jokes hung up on one long clothesline. There’s a sneaky sweetness to the story. It breathes. It has dynamics. There’s a second-act argument, followed by a resolution, where Reggie finally gets two things he’s wanted the whole movie. It’s satisfying and vindicating. The dogs are cute, and this is the most and hardest I’ve laughed in a movie this year. I believe people will love Strays, and when our miniature dachshund welcomed me home tonight, I couldn’t help but think about the wonderful things she’s saying that I can’t hear.

Grade: B+