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Strays — Review: It’s Fine
by KJ Proulx
Comedy is subjective. I’ve said that many times and will continue to do so because you are never going to make an entire theatre laugh with your humour. In the case of Strays, this is a very specific style of humour that I feel will be about 50/50 with audiences. If you enjoy raunchy humour and a lot of cursing, you will definitely laugh here, but even though I am one of those people, Strays was still just fine to me. Here’s why I think this film is too one-note for its own good, but also why I give it props for having a lot of heart.
The movie follows Bug, a young dog who loves his owner, but his owner wants nothing to do with him. Driven far away from home, Bug befriends three other dogs in Reggie, Maggie, and Hunter. The four of them embark on an adventure to Bud’s owner's house to bite off his penis. yes, that is the premise of the film and that is all. Hijinks ensue and drugs, profanity, alcohol, and a surprising amount of heart drive this movie to its conclusion.
Strays relies heavily on dick jokes and curse words to make people laugh. I chuckled throughout, but never exactly found myself in tears laughing. The majority of the funniest parts are in the trailer and the overuse of certain jokes worn thin. What kept my interest though was the fact that Bug’s storyline was emotionally resonant with me and the tragic backstory of…
