Strays (2023 film)

{{for-text|the Canadian television series|Strays (TV series)|the 2023 British horror thriller film|The Strays (film)}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Strays

| image = StraysMoviePoster.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Josh Greenbaum

| writer = Dan Perrault

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Tim Orr

| editing = {{Plainlist|

David Rennie
Sabrina Plisco
Greg Hayden

}}

| music = Dara Taylor

| studio = {{Plainlist|

Lord Miller Productions
Picturestart
Rabbit Hole Productions

}}

| distributor = Universal Pictures

| released = {{Film date|2023|8|18}}

| runtime = 93 minutes{{cite web |url=https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/EF49B1D000579FAB |title=Strays |website=Irish Film Classification Office |access-date=April 12, 2023 |archive-date=April 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412031732/https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/EF49B1D000579FAB |url-status=live }}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $46 million

| gross = $36 million{{Cite Box Office Mojo |id=15153532 |title=Strays (2023) |access-date=October 7, 2023}}{{Cite The Numbers |id=Strays-(2023)#tab=summary |title=Strays (2023) |access-date=October 7, 2023}}

}}

Strays is a 2023 American comedy film directed by Josh Greenbaum and written by Dan Perrault. It follows an abandoned dog (voiced by Will Ferrell) who teams up with several strays (voiced by Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, and Randall Park) to get revenge on his abusive owner (Will Forte). The film also stars Harvey Guillén, Rob Riggle, Brett Gelman, Jamie Demetriou, Josh Gad, and Sofía Vergara.

Strays was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on August 18, 2023. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $36 million.

Plot

Reggie is a naive Border Terrier who lives with his deadbeat owner Doug, who only keeps him around to spite his ex-girlfriend. When Reggie inadvertently destroys Doug's bong, Doug makes several attempts to ditch Reggie, which Reggie views as a game. Losing track of Doug in the city three hours away, Reggie meets a street-wise dog named Bug who teaches him how to be a stray after he defends him from a Rottweiler and a Doberman. After a night with Bug and his friends, an Australian Shepherd named Maggie and a therapy Great Dane named Hunter, Reggie finally realizes that Doug does not love him. He decides to get revenge by biting off Doug's penis, and the other strays accompany him for support. However, as Reggie has never been that far from Doug before, they are forced to rely on landmarks he saw, including a 'large hamster ball' (a carnival ferris wheel), a 'giant cone' (a hill), and 'the Devil in the sky' (a picture of a postman on a billboard).

During the journey, the group bonds as they get into several situations, culminating in getting caught by animal control after a hallucinogenic mushroom-induced high causes them to maul a family of rabbits, which they mistake for plushies. During their captivity, Bug admits that he used to have a family of his own but was forced to escape when they tried to euthanize him after he bit the daughter (though he fails to see exactly what he did wrong). In an attempt to escape, the dogs plan to use Hunter's erect penis to hook the kennel keys but are unsuccessful. Then in another attempt to escape, Reggie suggests that every dog defecate on the floor at the same time so when the security guard opens it, they can all run out, in which they are successful. After escaping the pound, however, Reggie convinces himself that he is to blame for Doug treating him poorly. This causes Bug to urinate on Reggie's bandana in a fit of anger and Reggie leaves the other strays. Making their way back to the city, Bug, Maggie, and Hunter stumble upon a lost girl scout, and alert a search and rescue worker to her location.

Reggie returns to Doug's house, and after reminiscing about all the times Doug mistreated him, he finally sees what he was. He confronts and cuts ties with him. However, an enraged Doug prevents Reggie from leaving and attempts to kill him while making explicit that he never even once cared about Reggie. The other strays, with the help of the Girl Scout, intervene and, with their help, Reggie successfully bites Doug's penis off. Hunter also defecates in Doug's mouth, and during the altercation, Doug's house and pickup truck are burned down. While Doug is taken to a hospital, the strays reconcile, but they wanted to go into their new lives. Afterwards, the strays move on: Hunter returns to being a therapy dog and starts a relationship with Maggie, the latter begins training as a police dog, the Girl Scout adopts Bug, and Reggie remains a stray and chooses to guide new strays, though still often spends time with the other dogs.

Cast

Will Forte as Doug, Reggie's former owner
Brett Gelman as Willy, an animal control officer
Dan Perrault as Dr. Hagen, a doctor seen in the mid-credits scene
Dennis Quaid as a birdwatcher
Jade Fernandez as Ashley, Doug's ex-girlfriend

=Voices=

Will Ferrell as Reggie, a Border Terrier
Jamie Foxx as Bug, a Boston Terrier
Isla Fisher as Maggie, an Australian Shepherd{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/isla-fisher-strays-will-ferrell-jamie-foxx-1235111922/|title=Isla Fisher Joins Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx in Strays (Exclusive)|date=March 15, 2022|first=Borys|last=Kit|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 16, 2022|archive-date=April 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405012615/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/isla-fisher-strays-will-ferrell-jamie-foxx-1235111922/|url-status=live}}
Randall Park as Hunter, a Great Dane therapy dog wearing an Elizabethan collar{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/randall-park-universal-strays-1235104590/|title=Randall Park Joins Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx in Universal Comedy Strays (Exclusive)|date=March 4, 2022|first=Borys|last=Kit|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=March 4, 2022|archive-date=April 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220402062842/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/randall-park-universal-strays-1235104590/|url-status=live}}
Rob Riggle as Rolf, a rude German Shepherd police dog
Josh Gad as Gus, a narrative Labrador Retriever{{Cite web |last=O'Rourke |first=Ryan |date=2023-02-08 |title=First 'Strays' Trailer: Will Ferrell Is an Abandoned Pup Ready to Bite Back |url=https://collider.com/strays-trailer-will-ferrell-jamie-foxx-will-forte/ |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=Collider |language=en |archive-date=July 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726191046/https://collider.com/strays-trailer-will-ferrell-jamie-foxx-will-forte/ |url-status=live }}
Sofía Vergara as Dolores the couch
Jamie Demetriou as Chester, a Bulldog
Greta Lee as Bella, a Pomeranian
Jimmy Tatro as Finn, a Rottweiler
Harvey Guillén as Shitstain, a Chihuahua
Jack De Sanz as Munchkin, a Bloodhound
Phil Morris as Bubsy
David Herman as underbite pound dog

Production

In August 2019, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller signed a first-look deal with Universal Pictures.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/phil-lord-chris-miller-set-first-look-deal-universal-1228973/|title=Phil Lord, Chris Miller Set First-Look Deal With Universal|date=August 2, 2019|first=Mia|last=Galuppo|website=The Hollywood Reporter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005230326/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/phil-lord-chris-miller-set-first-look-deal-universal-1228973/|archive-date=October 5, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=October 5, 2021}} In May 2021, Universal acquired the rights to Strays, an adult comedy about dogs written by Perrault, with Lord and Miller attached to produce alongside Erik Feig and Louis Leterrier. The film is a co-production between Picturestart and Rabbit Hole Productions.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/lord-miller-strays-movie-unviersal-1234983167/|title=Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Picturestart Set Live-Action Comedy Strays at Universal (Exclusive)|date=May 27, 2021|first=Matt|last=Donnelly|website=Variety|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527174301/https://variety.com/2021/film/news/lord-miller-strays-movie-unviersal-1234983167/|archive-date=May 27, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=May 27, 2021}} Filming began in September 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.{{cite web |title=Film and TV Projects Going Into Production – Strays |url=https://www.varietyinsight.com/production_restart_full_view.php?track_id=191525 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527191548/https://www.varietyinsight.com/production_restart_full_view.php?track_id=191525 |archive-date=May 27, 2021 |access-date=October 5, 2021 |website=Variety Insight}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|url=https://decaturish.com/2021/09/production-for-feature-film-will-take-place-in-kirkwood-sept-20-25/|title=Production for feature film will take place in Kirkwood Sept. 20-25|date=September 21, 2021|first=Zoe|last=Seiler|website=Decaturish|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005231027/https://decaturish.com/2021/09/production-for-feature-film-will-take-place-in-kirkwood-sept-20-25/|archive-date=October 5, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=October 5, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/whats-filming-in-georgia-in-september/X4JP3GZSFJCDXIYOV6VWTTJXN4/|title=What's filming in Georgia in September?|date=September 15, 2021|first=Rodney|last=Ho|website=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005231030/https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/whats-filming-in-georgia-in-september/X4JP3GZSFJCDXIYOV6VWTTJXN4/|archive-date=October 5, 2021|url-status=live|access-date=October 5, 2021}} Production concluded by December 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/will-ferrell-jamie-foxx-will-forte-talking-dog-comedy-strays-exclusive-1235058434/|title=Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Will Forte Starring in Universal Comedy Strays (Exclusive)|date=December 7, 2021|first=Borys|last=Kit|website=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=May 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525024735/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/will-ferrell-jamie-foxx-will-forte-talking-dog-comedy-strays-exclusive-1235058434/|url-status=live}}

Release

Strays was released in the United States on August 18, 2023, after being delayed from its original June 9, 2023 date.{{Cite web |last=Mendelson |first=Scott |date=2023-05-08 |title=Universal Moves 'Strays' to August as 'Please Don't Destroy' Comedy Pivots to Peacock |url=https://www.thewrap.com/strays-delayed-please-dont-destroy-peacock-universal-movies/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602163931/https://www.thewrap.com/strays-delayed-please-dont-destroy-peacock-universal-movies/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/strays-release-date-will-ferrell-jamie-foxx-1234934459/|title=Strays: Universal Dates Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx & Will Forte Comedy For Summer 2023|date=February 15, 2022|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=February 16, 2022|archive-date=April 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409095239/https://deadline.com/2022/02/strays-release-date-will-ferrell-jamie-foxx-1234934459/|url-status=live}} It was released on digital platforms on September 5, 2023, followed by DVD and Blu-ray releases on October 10, 2023.{{cite web |url=https://www.whentostream.com/news/strays-digital-release-date-confirmed |title=Strays Digital Release Date Confirmed |website=When To Stream |date=August 29, 2023 |access-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905101854/https://www.whentostream.com/news/strays-digital-release-date-confirmed |url-status=live }}

Reception

= Box office =

{{As of|2023|10|19|df=US}}, Strays has grossed $24 million in the United States and Canada, and $12 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $36 million.

In the United States and Canada, Strays was released alongside Blue Beetle, and was initially projected to gross $15–17 million from 3,223 theaters in its opening weekend.{{Cite web|last=Rubin|first=Rebecca|date=August 16, 2023|title='Blue Beetle' Aims to End 'Barbie's' Box Office Reign With $30 Million Debut|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/box-office-blue-beetle-opening-weekend-estimates-1235696870/|access-date=August 16, 2023|website=Deadline Hollywood|language=en-US|archive-date=August 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816162329/https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/box-office-blue-beetle-opening-weekend-estimates-1235696870/|url-status=live}} After making $3.4 million on its first day (including $1.1 million from Thursday night previews), weekend estimates were lowered to $8.5 million. It went on to debut to $8.3 million, finishing in fourth.{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=August 20, 2023 |title='Blue Beetle' Still Eyes $25M; 'Strays' Goes To The Dogs With $8M+ – Saturday Box Office Update |url=https://deadline.com/2023/08/box-office-blue-beetle-strays-barbie-1235522235/ |access-date=August 20, 2023 |website=Deadline Hollywood |language=en-US |archive-date=August 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820183632/https://deadline.com/2023/08/box-office-blue-beetle-strays-barbie-1235522235/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Rubin |first1=Rebecca |date=20 August 2023 |title=Box Office: 'Blue Beetle' Stumbles With $25 Million Debut, Ends 'Barbie's' Four-Week Streak |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/box-office-blue-beetle-stumbles-opening-weekend-barbie-1235700676/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820160129/https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/box-office-blue-beetle-stumbles-opening-weekend-barbie-1235700676/ |archive-date=August 20, 2023 |access-date=August 21, 2023 |website=Variety}} The film made $4.9 million in its second weekend (a drop of 40%), finishing in sixth.{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |title='Gran Turismo' & 'Barbie' Bumping Heads With $17M+ Each This Weekend; Doll Leading National Cinema Day Early Admissions – Box Office |url=https://deadline.com/2023/08/box-office-gran-turismo-barbie-blue-beetle-1235528051/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=August 27, 2023 |access-date=August 27, 2023 |archive-date=August 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828194129/https://deadline.com/2023/08/box-office-gran-turismo-barbie-blue-beetle-1235528051/ |url-status=live }}

= Critical response =

{{RT prose|53|5.4|172|Crudely effective and effectively crude, Strays is more amusing than hilarious, but this comedy's scattershot humor is partly offset by its surprisingly big heart.|ref=y|access-date=September 3, 2023}} {{Metacritic film prose |score=54|count=45|ref=y|access-date=September 3, 2023}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.