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In the vein of The Secret Life of Pets, Homeward Bound, Cats & Dogs, Milo & Otis, and Mr. Peabody & Sherman, we have been given a new talking dog movie. Still, in contrast to other wholesome films aimed at families, Strays has a lot more of a gritty edge to it. This new comedy looks to follow in the footsteps of comedies such as Ted, Sausage Party, The Happytime Murders, and Good Boys, which took particular topics usually perceived as kid-friendly and converted them into filthy R-rated comedies. Of course, this new comedy will be much sweeter than previous comedies.
With a creative team that features some of Hollywood’s most talented comedians, both in front of and behind the camera, a release date in the middle of the summer, and talking dogs that curse, we could be looking at one of the most successful comedic films of 2023.
Cast
- Jamie Foxx as Bug
- Will Ferrell as Reggie
- Sofía Vergara
- Will Forte as Doug
- Harvey Guillén
- Isla Fisher as Maggie
- Josh Gad
- Randall Park as Hunter
- Jamie Demetriou
- Brett Gelman
- Rob Riggle
- Hannah Alline as Emma’s Mom
- Jade Fernandez as Ashley
- Tinashe Kajese as Cathy
- Alexandra Ficken as Jenna’s Other Friend
- Dan Perrault as Doug’s Doctor
- Andrea Laing as Jenna’s Friend
- Hedy Nasser as Carly
What is the Release Date of Strays?
Strays were supposed to come out on June 9th, 2023, when it was first planned. The movie was supposed to debut at the same time as Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the seventh installment in the wildly successful franchise owned by Paramount. However, in the end, Universal decided to move the film’s release date back a little more than two months to August 18th, 2023. This was a date that they had already earmarked for an untitled comedy written and starring Please Don’t Destroy from Saturday Night Live. Strays will compete for audience attention with the DC Comics feature Blue Beetle and the World War II thriller White Bird from Lionsgate at its new release date.
Who is the Director of Strays?
Josh Greenbaum is a film director, screenwriter, and producer in the American film industry. He is a past recipient of Emmy, MTV Movie, and CINE Golden Eagle awards. Netflix used the film he directed, the feature-length documentary The Short Game, which won the SXSW Audience Award, to begin their Originals film section. He also served as the film’s director. In addition, he directed the documentary titled “Becoming Bond,” which was about George Lazenby and won the Audience Award in the Visions category at SXSW. He also made the documentary titled “Too Funny to Fail,” about The Dana Carvey Show, and received accolades from the critics. In addition, he is the director of and executive producer for the Hulu original series Behind the Mask, which was Hulu’s first-ever nominee for an Emmy Award.
What is the Plot of Strays?
The official synopsis from Universal reads:
They say a dog is a man’s best friend, but what if the man is a dirtbag? In that case, it might be time for some sweet revenge, doggy style. When Reggie (Will Ferrell), a naïve, relentlessly optimistic Border Terrier, is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug (Will Forte; The Last Man on Earth, Nebraska), Reggie is certain that his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose. But once Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier named Bug (Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx), a stray who loves his freedom and believes that owners are for suckers, Reggie finally realizes he is in a toxic relationship and begins to see Doug for the heartless sleazeball that he is. Determined to seek revenge, Reggie, Bug, and Bug’s pals—Maggie (Isla Fisher; Now You See Me, Wedding Crashers), a smart Australian Shepherd who has been sidelined by her owner’s new puppy, and Hunter (Randall Park; Always Be My Maybe, Aquaman), an anxious Great Dane who’s stressed out by his work as an emotional support animal—together hatch a plan and embark on an epic adventure to help Reggie find his way home … and make Doug pay by biting off the appendage he loves the most. (Hint: It’s not his foot). A subversion of the dog movies we know and love, Strays, directed by Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) and written by Dan Perrault (Players, American Vandal), is a hilarious, R-rated, live-action comedy about the complications of love, the importance of great friendships, and the unexpected virtues of couch humping.
If you read the official summary for Strays, one thing will stick out to you right away: this is not Lassie.
People often claim that a dog is a man’s best friend, but what if the man is a slob? If that’s the case, it sounds like the perfect opportunity for some tasty payback, canine-style.
“Reggie, a naive and persistently optimistic Border Terrier, is certain his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose. This is even though Doug, Reggie’s owner, is a lowlife. When Doug abandons Reggie on the city’s mean streets, Reggie is positive that Doug will never leave him on purpose.
“But once Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier named Bug, a stray who loves his freedom and believes that owners are for suckers, Reggie finally realizes he was in a toxic relationship, and he begins to see Doug for the heartless sleazeball that he is.” “But once Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed Boston Terrier named Bug,”
Bug’s friends, Maggie, an intelligent Australian Shepherd who has been sidelined by her owner’s new puppy, and Hunter, an anxious Great Dane who is stressed out by his work as an emotional support animal, together hatch a plan and embark on an epic adventure to help Reggie find his way home… “Reggie, Bug, and Bug’s friends, Maggie, a smart Australian Shepherd who has been sidelined by her owner’s new puppy, and Hunter, an anxious Great Dane who is stressed out by his then give Doug what he deserves by biting off the limb that he cherishes the most.
