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Movie Review: ‘Strays’
(L to R) Reggie (Will Ferrell), Maggie (Isla Fisher), Hunter (Randall Park) and Bug (Jamie Foxx) in ‘Strays,’ directed by Josh Greenbaum.

In theaters now, ‘Strays’ represents an attempt to bring the sort of bawdy comedy found in the likes of ‘The Hangover’ to an animal quest film more along the lines of family classics such as ‘The Incredible Journey’ and ‘Homeward Bound’. The result is hit-and-miss, but when it works, it’s bark-out-loud funny.

Comedy/producing titans Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who are behind the likes of Apple TV+ series ‘The Afterparty’ and ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ already this year) brought outrageous violence and dark comedy to screens with February’s ‘Cocaine Bear’. ‘Strays’ definitely veers more towards lighthearted, raunchy comedy, but bears their winning touch.
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What’s the story of ‘Strays’?

(L to R) Bug (Jamie Foxx) and Reggie (Will Ferrell) in ‘Strays,’ directed by Josh Greenbaum.

When Reggie (Will Ferrell), a naïve, relentlessly optimistic Border Terrier, is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug (Will Forte), 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 (Jamie Foxx), a stray who loves his freedom and believes that owners are for suckers, Reggie finally realizes he was 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), a smart Australian Shepherd who has been sidelined by her owner’s new puppy, and Hunter (Randall Park), 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 (it’s not his foot).
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Who else is in ‘Strays’?

‘Strays’ boasts a cast that either voices dogs (or other creatures) objects or plays human characters in the story including Josh Gad, Harvey Guillén, Rob Riggle, Brett Gelman, Jamie Demetriou and Sofia Vergara.

Is ‘Strays’ a good dog?

Director Josh Greenbaum on the set of ‘Strays.’

Directed by Josh Greenbaum, who brought us 2021’s sublimely silly ‘Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar’, ‘Strays’ is written by Dan Perrault, best known for ‘American Vandal’ and ‘Players’ on TV.

If you ever wanted to see ‘Saturday Night Live’ veteran Will Forte –– more normally associated with amiable weirdoes –– playing one of the worst dog owners to appear on screens, then this is the movie you’ve been waiting for. Yet Forte’s Doug, a weed-smoking, porn-obsessed loser who begrudgingly goes along with the idea when his girlfriend adopts adorable terrier Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell), is not the star of this movie, Reggie is.

Along, that is, with the new friends he makes when Doug abandons him. Foxx’s Bug is a streetwise pup with an ego bigger than his frame, but who makes for a good mentor to Reggie, who has only ever known life with humans.

(L to R) Bug (Jamie Foxx) and Reggie (Will Ferrell) in ‘Strays,’ directed by Josh Greenbaum.

The pooch pals –– also including Randall Park’s Hunter, a former police dog trainee who now works as a therapy dog at a hospice (and keeps a cone of shame on permanently for his own insecurity issues) and Isla Fisher’s Maggie, blessed with an amazing nose and a crush on Hunter –– are the highlight of the movie, a compelling blend of well-trained real animals with CG mouth manipulation.

While they don’t all enjoy the same character development as Reggie or Bug, they’re an appealing, funny foursome and their adventures offer a lot of entertainment. With experienced performers bringing character as well as laughs to the roles, this features such memorable moments as the leads encountering Labrador Gus (voiced by Josh Gad), a hilarious take on the noble narrator dog we’ve met in movies including ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ and ‘Racing in the Rain’, and who is harboring a very dark secret.

Plus, all of Reggie’s interactions with Doug are good for a laugh, even as dog owners (and anyone who just loves animals in general) will loathe his living guts.

It moves along at a swift pace, never outstays its welcome and makes you care about our furry foursome in ways you don’t expect at the start. Oh, and we’re fairly certain that this is the only movie you’ll see this year that features Sofia Vergara as the voice of Delilah, a couch that Bug enjoys having sex with.

Related Article: Director Josh Greenbaum Talks ‘Strays’ Starring Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx

Are there any fleas on this one?

(L to R) Bug (Jamie Foxx) and Reggie (Will Ferrell) in ‘Strays,’ directed by Josh Greenbaum.

Not everything about the movie works; it does indulge in some first-base dog and other humor. We’ve seen a hundred variations on the age-old dog vs. mailman scenario and one small tweak aside (one plays into how Reggie makes it home), the movie doesn’t really find a fresh take.

There are also scenes such as the canines discovering a patch of mushrooms in a forest and gobbling them down, only to go on a wild drug trip. A few moments work well (reality shifting to show Hunter as a sock puppet with human hands), but otherwise it’s the sort of gag that has been done many, many times. Ditto overly macho police dog Rolf (Rob Riggle), whose best use is Maggie calling him “Adolf” to his bemused reaction.

And there are times when the reveling in poop, pee and eating disgusting things jokes stretches a little too thin, but if you were already on board with the movie, you know what you’re in for.

Yet there are so many inventive uses of the dogs’ worldview (fireworks at a county fair serve as the setting for a war movie spoof for our spooked hounds who look to escape) that the balance of great jokes to clunkers is heavily on the positive side.

It was about time that the dog movie got the full-on spoof comedy treatment, and ‘Strays’ works to bring the heart and well as the gross-out gags.

‘Strays’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.

A scene from ‘Strays,’ directed by Josh Greenbaum.

Other Movies Similar to ‘Strays’:
- ‘The Incredible Journey‘ (1963)
- ‘Breaking Away‘ (1979)
- ‘Stand by Me‘ (1986)
- ‘Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey‘ (1993)
- ‘Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco‘ (1996)
- ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin‘ (2005)
- ‘Superbad‘ (2007)
- ‘Marley & Me‘ (2008)
- ‘The Hangover‘ (2009)
- ‘Bridesmaids‘ (2011)
- ‘A Dog’s Purpose‘ (2017)
- ‘A Dog’s Journey‘ (2019)
- ‘Good Boys‘ (2019)
- ‘Dog‘ (2022)
Buy Tickets: ‘Strays’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Will Ferrell Movies On Amazon
August 18, 2023
‘Strays’ Interview: Director Josh Greenbaum
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Opening in theaters on August 18th is the new comedy ‘Strays,’ which was directed by Josh Greenbaum (‘Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar’).

What is the plot of ‘Strays’?

When a gullible Border Terrier named Reggie (Will Ferrell) is abandoned on the streets by his selfish and ruthless owner Doug (Will Forte), an animal-hating drug addict who never wanted him, he teams up with other strays including a street-wise Boston Terrier named Bug (Jamie Foxx), an Australian Shepherd named Maggie (Isla Fisher), and a therapy Great Dane named Hunter (Randall Park) to get revenge on Doug.
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Who is in the cast of ‘Strays’?
- Will Ferrell as the voice of Reggie
- Jamie Foxx as the voice of Bug
- Will Forte as Doug
- Isla Fisher as the voice of Maggie
- Randall Park as the voice of Hunter
- Josh Gad as the voice of Gus
- Harvey Guillén as the voice of Shitstain
- Rob Riggle as the voice of Rolf
- Brett Gelman as Willy
- Sofía Vergara as the voice of Deliliah the Couch
- Dennis Quaid as himself
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Josh Greenbaum about his work on ‘Strays,’ making a hard R-rated version of ‘Homeward Bound,’ his first reaction to the screenplay, the challenges of directing an all dog cast, working with Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, and their characters onscreen chemistry.

‘Strays’ director Josh Greenbaum.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.

Moviefone: To begin with, is it fair to say that this movie is a comedic hard R-rated version of ‘Homeward Bound,’ and what was your first reaction to Dan Perrault’s screenplay?

Josh Greenbaum: I think so. I think that’s totally fair. Well, when I first saw the log line, which was, as you can imagine, absurd. It was a little dog, Reggie, who gets abandoned by his mean owner Doug, meets some strays, and then wants to get revenge by biting Doug’s most beloved body part off. I thought, “This sounds amazing. But it sounds a little insane, which I love.” But to be honest, I wondered, “Oh, is it just going to be a dog spoof movie,” to your question of is it just an R-rated ‘Homeward Bound.’ I think it delivered on what I needed and wanted from that of, “Okay, we do subvert the genre and have our fun in moments.” But what really jumped out at me was, “This actually is a fully formed script on its own,” and in a way, made me think of, certainly, wonderful movies like ‘40 Year Old Virgin,’ ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘Superbad,’ but also ‘Stand By Me,’ and I thought about ‘Breaking Away,’ these films about four friends who go on a journey, and grow, and are underdogs. So, in a way, I think I was always searching for that film, and weirdly it came across my desk in the form of an R-rated dog movie. So, that I think is when I finally hooked in and said, “Oh, this movie’s funny, outrageous and does subvert the dog genre and brings it into the adult world.” But I just love that it actually had heart and functioned on its own as its own story.

Director Josh Greenbaum on the set of ‘Strays.’

Related Article: ‘Oppenheimer’, ‘The Exorcist’ and More Feature in Universal Pictures’ CinemaCon Presentation

MF: Can you talk about the challenges of directing an all dog cast and the VFX you had to utilize to ensure their safety?

JG: First of all, one of the things I stated when I came on board to direct was I would really like to utilize real dogs as much as possible, mostly because I wanted it to feel really real, I think, for adult audiences to enjoy this. I’ve had dogs my whole life. I live with dogs. I own two dogs now, one of whom I adopted from the movie, who was little puppy Reggie, now lives with us, and I have “Will Ferrell” running around my house. So, I wanted it to feel really grounded and the more it was the more it felt like it was right for adult audiences. I think if it was overly anthropomorphized or overly CG with big expressions, it works with children, but not for adults. I think that I pull out and pull back when I see that kind of work done. So, we only really leaned on the incredible CG and visual effects, obviously, to have them talk. We were unsuccessful training the dogs to talk. But to get them talking, occasionally we would add a little extra emotion here and there. But again, I tried to get the emotion out of the performance of the dog on set. If I needed a dog confused, I wouldn’t have it furrow its brow. I’d have it cock its head sideways the way dogs do. Then, of course, anytime it was anything remotely unsafe for a dog to do, we would go to a full CG dog. So, we have, as an example, a sequence, not giving too much away, but it’s in our trailers, where an eagle comes into the story and you don’t obviously want to mix small dogs with birds of prey. So, that becomes an obvious choice to go to a full CG dog.

(L to R) Bug (Jamie Foxx) and Reggie (Will Ferrell) in ‘Strays,’ directed by Josh Greenbaum.

MF: Finally, can you talk about Bug and Reggie’s friendship and creating that relationship in the recording studio with Jamie Foxx and Will Ferrell?

JG: I mean, at its core, I think this film, it’s about a few things. It’s certainly about being in a toxic, unhealthy relationship with someone and getting out of it, and how your friends help you through that and find your own sense of self-worth again. I think at the center of that is this relationship between Bug and Reggie. So, casting Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, and having them in the voiceover booth working together was just, for me, just magic to watch. They played off of each other so well. They’ve never been in a film together! This is really their first time, and you can feel their chemistry instantly. I mean, both in the film, but I remember being in that voiceover booth and watching these two guys hit the ball back and forth, and it was just a joy to watch. But, yeah, it’s a very sweet relationship. They have differing life philosophies. One is overly optimistic and believes you can trust everyone and put your love in everything, which there’s some validity to that. The other one, I think, has been burned and says, “No, don’t do that. You should protect yourself, close down, don’t trust anyone. Just look after yourself.” For me, that richness, of a thematic conversation to anchor a film on is great. Even though it’s an outrageous, really funny, really fun time of a movie, there’s something really palpable, emotional, and sweet at the center with these two characters. Of course, there’s no one better than Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx to bring that to life. So, I felt very lucky to have them as my two leads of this movie.

Director Josh Greenbaum with Reggie on the set of ‘Strays.’

Other Movies Similar to ‘Strays’:
- ‘Breaking Away‘ (1979)
- ‘Stand by Me‘ (1986)
- ‘Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey‘ (1993)
- ‘Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco‘ (1996)
- ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin‘ (2005)
- ‘Superbad‘ (2007)
- ‘Marley & Me‘ (2008)
- ‘The Hangover‘ (2009)
- ‘Bridesmaids‘ (2011)
- ‘A Dog’s Purpose‘ (2017)
- ‘A Dog’s Journey‘ (2019)
- ‘Good Boys‘ (2019)
- ‘Dog‘ (2022)
Buy Tickets: ‘Strays’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Will Ferrell Movies On Amazon
August 17, 2023
Netflix’s ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter’ Interviews
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Premiering on Netflix beginning February 9th is the new animated series ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter,’ from co-creators Everett Downing and Patrick Harpin.

What is ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter’ about?

‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter’ is an animated action-comedy series following close-knit siblings Lisa and Sean, who stow away on their dad’s latest work trip, hoping to finally get some quality time together. Little do they know Dad’s been keeping a secret from them — he’s actually the toughest bounty hunter in the galaxy!

Launched into the surprise space adventure of a lifetime, Lisa and Sean discover that their seemingly average dad’s job is anything but boring. Dodging dangerous aliens, robots, and laser fights galore, family bonding time becomes much more than they bargained for as they try to help their dad in pursuit of his toughest fugitive yet. With his kids along for the ride, Dad must show up for them when they need it most — and they’d better make it home before Mom finds out!

Who is in the Cast of ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter?’

The new series stars Laz Alonso (‘Avatar’) as Terry, Yvonne Orji (‘Night School’) as Tess, Priah Ferguson (‘Stranger Things’) as Lisa, Yvette Nicole Brown (‘Avengers: Endgame’) as KRS, JeCobi Swain (‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’) as Sean, Leslie Uggams (‘Deadpool‘) as Grandma, Rob Riggle (‘The Hangover’) as Glorlox, Jim Rash (‘The Descendants’) as The Fixer and Jamie Chung (‘Big Hero 6’) as Vax.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Laz Alonso and Yvonne Orji to discuss their work on ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter,’ Terry and Tess’ relationship, why his job as a bounty hunter is threatening their marriage, and the challenges of voice acting.

Laz Alonso stars in Netflix’s ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter.’

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Alonso, Orji, Priah Ferguson, JeCobi Swain, and series co-creators Everett Downing and Patrick Harpin.

Moviefone: To begin with, Laz, how would you describe Terry’s relationship with his kids?

Laz Alonso: I would describe Terry’s relationship with his kids as a father that truly loves his kids and wants to be present for his family. But he has prioritized providing and unfortunately, not self-aware that what they’re really asking for is his presence, not what he can provide financially. But he learns that. This is something that they teach him. You usually think as parents, it’s just teaching the kids, it’s a one way relationship. But it’s symbiotic. This show magically captured that; how much we can learn from our kids if we listen to them.

MF: Yvonne, is his absence the reason for Tess and Terry’s separation?

Yvonne Orji: I mean, I think it’s the disappointment, right? It’s like he prioritizes his work over the kids and so she is like, “That’s not going to fly on my watch, we need to be present, we need to be a family unit.” I think the more she sees the letdown and the disconnect of what he is prioritizing, I think she’s kind of drawing the line in the sand and is like, “If you can’t get this together, then I don’t know how we can work.” Which is sad because you want them to work.

Yvonne Orji stars in Netflix’s ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter.’

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘The Adam Project’

MF: Laz, can you talk about Terry’s job as a bounty hunter?

LA: So Terry’s other job, his other life, is he’s a bounty hunter in space. Not only is distance an issue, but time is an issue. Being an actor, I can really connect with that because we work all over the world. The shortest amount of time you’ll be gone on a project is usually at least a month, sometimes three months, seven, eight, or nine months. That can be really hard on family members. It could be really hard on a relationship. When one person leaves, both people feel it, or more than two people feel it. So it was something that was very easy for me to embody because of the nature of my job is such that it requires me to leave to get it done.

MF: Yvonne, Terry is supposed to take the kids on a trip to Splash Town. Is that a make or break trip for their relationship?

YO: I think it is, because it is that thing of, “Okay, he’s home. This is actually going to happen.” I think she’s wanting to will it to happen. I won’t say she gave him an ultimatum, but she definitely is creating a boundary where it’s like, if you let us down one more time, I can’t see how this is going to work. So it is kind of a test. By the time she closes the door, she’s hopeful. She’s like, “All right, well he’s at least home, he’s not working this weekend.” But little does she know, it’s about to be a problem. And now her kids are part of that problem.

(L to R) Yvette Nicole Brown as KRS, Jecobi Swain as Sean, Laz Alonso as Sabo Brok and Priah Ferguson as Lisa in ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023.

MF: Laz, do you find voice acting more challenging than acting in live-action projects?

LA: Yes, because it requires a lot more of your voice. You can emote in a live-action movie without saying a word, just your expression or your reactions. But here, you have to vocalize everything, including a lot of yelling, and a lot of screaming. I feel for my friends that are parents because now I see why they yell so much. It never stops. Because kids yell, so you got to yell louder than them. But yeah, overall it was a fun experience and it was fun to play a different type of character.

MF: Yvonne, do you also find voice acting challenging and do you all record together or separately?

YO: Yeah. We’re all in individual booths at different times. Yeah, I found it more challenging because you’re like, “I hope that’s what they want.” Whereas when you’re in an ensemble cast or in a live-action project, like Laz said, you play opposite each other. You can feel each other out and you be like, “Oh, I got another one for that.” Here it’s just like, “Take one, take two, all right I think we got it.” I’m like, “Are you sure?” So, you have to have faith and trust in the producers and the filmmakers to know that they love it.

(L to R) Laz Alonso as Sabo Brok and Yvette Nicole Brown as KRS in ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023.

MF: Finally, Laz, when you were preparing for this role, were you able to see concept art to help you create your character?

LA: Yeah, I mean they did a great job at describing him to me. At the time they had rough sketches, black and white stencil, nothing that was to the level of what we see now. But, I mean I watch enough sci-fi and I’m a big fan of the genre. I also had a mental image of what a fully armored bounty hunter, the energy that he would be emoting, once he was on the job. Once he clocked in, once he put that helmet on, it’s no more games being played. So that’s what I pretty much brought to it was how the difference between that energy feels especially between when he’s dealing with his kids, and once he throws that helmet on and now he’s dealing with these aliens.

(L to R) Yvette Nicole Brown as KRS, Jecobi Swain as Sean, Laz Alonso as Sabo Brok and Priah Ferguson as Lisa in ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2023.

Other Movies and TV Shows Similar to ‘My Dad the Bounty Hunter:’
- ‘Spy Kids‘ (2001)
- ‘Mars Needs Moms‘ (2011)
- ‘The Adam Project‘ (2022)
- ‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur‘ (2023)
February 16, 2023
Watch Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Cheech Marin, and Jane Seymour in the trailer for ‘The War with Grandpa’

Robert De Niro has had a long and storied film career, often playing tough guys. But he may have finally met his match! In the trailer for ‘The War with Grandpa’ we see De Niro’s Ed take on his grandson Peter in a no-holds-barred fight over who will get the bedroom that used to belong to young Peter.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Sixth-grader Peter (Oakes Fegley) is pretty much your average kid-he likes gaming, hanging with his friends and his beloved pair of Air Jordans. But when his recently widowed grandfather Ed (Robert De Niro) moves in with Peter’s family, the boy is forced to give up his most prized possession of all, his bedroom. Unwilling to let such an injustice stand, Peter devises a series of increasingly elaborate pranks to drive out the interloper, but Grandpa Ed won’t go without a fight. Soon, the friendly combatants are engaged in an all-out war with side-splitting consequences.

Based on the award-winning book by Robert Kimmel Smith, The War with Grandpa is a hilarious family comedy featuring an all-star supporting cast: Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Cheech Marin, Laura Marano and Jane Seymour.

‘The War with Grandpa’ opens nationwide on October 9.
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August 16, 2020