Every so often when writing movie reviews by a pair of snuggly and often snoring Boston Terriers, one wonders what they’d say if given the opportunity – perhaps “I love you, now stop typing and throw that tennis ball.” The new talking-dog movie “Strays” explores that same idea and the results are hilarious, heartwarming and outrageously filthy.
Like “Homeward Bound” with masturbation jokes and randy squirrels, the wry and raunchy comedy (★★★ out of four; rated R; in theaters Friday) stars Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx as a pair of canine besties on an epic journey with their woof pack to bite a man in his private parts.
There are running gags about the size of doggy genitalia, nonstop cursing, plus a psychedelic trip involving a couch named Dolores, and director Josh Greenbaum (“Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar”) unleashes both unruly shenanigans and big-hearted feels without being obnoxious or cloying.
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A Border Terrier named Reggie (voiced by Ferrell) lives in a rural small town with his cruel owner Doug (Will Forte), who blames the scruffy little guy for everything that’s gone wrong in his life. Naive and optimistic to a fault, Reggie love-love-loves Doug and every time his human tries to ditch him, he sees it as a game. But when Doug drops him in the big city and speeds away, Reggie begins to worry about not only getting home but surviving.
He’s saved from a couple of huge canine bruisers by Bug (Foxx), a street-smart Boston who teaches Reggie the rules of being a stray: Pee on something if you want it, hump whatever you’d like, and enjoy the freedom of being on your own. Bug then introduces his new BFF to a couple of pals. Hunter the Great Dane (Randall Park) is an anxiety-ridden, cone-wearing therapy dog who washed out of K-9 police training, while Maggie (Isla Fisher), an Australian Shepherd with a gifted sniffer, is a house pet who resents a younger puppy getting all the love from her people.
With a new perspective and a fresh sense of anger, Reggie sets out to take revenge on Doug and his confidants come with him on a humorous Homeric odyssey, tussling with a hungry eagle, running afoul of animal control and munching some seriously funky mushrooms.
Talking dog movies are a polarizing genre, mainly because chatty animals with moving mouths can be pretty weird. You get used to it fairly quickly here, though, as you fall for the lovable main characters. (While cute critter flicks are usually family-friendly, this one is decidedly not for kids.) Reggie is an adorably complex dude, Bug is the film’s chief scene-stealer, and Hunter and Maggie are loyal pals crushing on each other with a “Will they or won’t they?” sexual tension. In addition to using computer-generated animals, Greenbaum has real dogs playing the main characters so you’re much more invested in their quest than, say, the special-effects pooch of “The Call of the Wild.”
The screenplay by Dan Perrault (“American Vandal”) also tries to get into the mind of dogs in a really insightful way. Often it’s for a humorous bit like Bug’s twirly routine to lay down and take a nap, the gossipy goings-on at the local dog park, or one truly astounding display of feces. But there’s also a whole scene devoted to what goes through a canine mind when fireworks are going off that’s simply brilliant. Obviously, folks will come for pups dropping f-bombs and mad drug trips straight out of “21 Jump Street,” though it’s aspects like Bug’s profound backstory that put some real meat on the bone.
“Strays” is definitely a treat, especially for dog lovers who will howl with laughter and also cry at its empathetic understanding that we all, furry or otherwise, just want to be loved. And after seeing it, a lick from your best friend means more than ever before.
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