Strays (2023 film)
Strays is a 2023 American comedy film directed by Josh Greenbaum and written by Dan Perrault. The film 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); Harvey Guillén, Rob Riggle, Brett Gelman, Jamie Demetriou, and Sofía Vergara also star.
Strays | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Josh Greenbaum |
Written by | Dan Perrault |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Tim Orr |
Edited by |
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Music by | Dara Taylor |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $46 million[2] |
Box office | $35.4 million[3][4] |
Strays was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on August 18, 2023. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $35 million.
Plot
Reggie is a gullible Border Terrier living with his selfish owner, Doug. Even though Doug only keeps him to spite an ex-girlfriend, Reggie is under the impression that Doug loves him and does everything he can to make him happy, much to Doug's chagrin.
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 a city hours away, Reggie meets a street-wise Boston Terrier 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 realizes that Doug does not love him. He decides to get revenge by biting Doug's penis off, and the other strays accompany him for support.
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 toys. 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, which caused him to have a mistrust for himself with human kids. 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. But after escaping the pound, 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 eventually makes his way back to Doug's house, and after cutting ties with him and before leaving, Doug slams the door in front of him and attempts to slaughter Reggie. The other strays intervene, and, with their help, Reggie successfully rips Doug's penis off. Hunter also defecates in Doug's mouth, and during the altercation, Doug's house is accidentally burned down. Afterward, the strays move on: Maggie begins training as a police dog and starts a relationship with Hunter, the latter returns to being a therapy dog, the Girl Scout adopts Bug, and Reggie chooses to guide new strays.
Cast
- Will Forte as Doug, Reggie's former owner
- Brett Gelman as Willy, an Animal Control officer
- Dan Perrault as Dr. Hagen
- Dennis Quaid as a birdwatcher
Voices
- Will Ferrell as Reggie, a Border Terrier[5]
- Jamie Foxx as Bug, a stray Boston Terrier[5]
- Isla Fisher as Maggie, an Australian Shepherd[6]
- Randall Park as Hunter, a Great Dane[7]
- Rob Riggle as Rolf, a German Shepherd police dog[8]
- Josh Gad as Gus, a Labrador Retriever.[8]
- Sofía Vergara as Dolores the couch[8]
- Jamie Demetriou as Chester, a bulldog[8]
- Greta Lee as Bella, a Pomeranian.
- Jimmy Tatro as Finn the Rottweiler
- Harvey Guillén as Shitstain, a Chihuahua.[8]
- 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.[9] In May 2021, Universal acquired the rights to Strays, an adult comedy about dogs written by Dan 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.[10] Filming began in September 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.[11][12][13] Production concluded by December 2021.[5]
Release
Strays was released in the United States on August 18, 2023, after being delayed from its original June 9, 2023 date.[14][15] It was released on digital platforms on September 5, 2023. Followed by DVD and Blu-ray releases on October 10, 2023.[16]
Reception
Box office
As of October 19, 2023, Strays has grossed $24 million in the United States and Canada, and $11.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $35.4 million.[3][4]
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.[2] 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.[17][18] The film made $4.9 million in its second weekend (a drop of 40%), finishing in sixth.[19]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 54% of 168 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "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."[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[17]
References
- "Strays". Irish Film Classification Office. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- Rubin, Rebecca (August 16, 2023). "'Blue Beetle' Aims to End 'Barbie's' Box Office Reign With $30 Million Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- "Strays (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- "Strays (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- Kit, Borys (December 7, 2021). "Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Will Forte Starring in Universal Comedy Strays (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- Kit, Borys (March 15, 2022). "Isla Fisher Joins Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx in Strays (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- Kit, Borys (March 4, 2022). "Randall Park Joins Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx in Universal Comedy Strays (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- O'Rourke, Ryan (February 8, 2023). "First 'Strays' Trailer: Will Ferrell Is an Abandoned Pup Ready to Bite Back". Collider. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- Galuppo, Mia (August 2, 2019). "Phil Lord, Chris Miller Set First-Look Deal With Universal". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- Donnelly, Matt (May 27, 2021). "Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Picturestart Set Live-Action Comedy Strays at Universal (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
- "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production – Strays". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- Seiler, Zoe (September 21, 2021). "Production for feature film will take place in Kirkwood Sept. 20-25". Decaturish. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- Ho, Rodney (September 15, 2021). "What's filming in Georgia in September?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
- Mendelson, Scott (May 8, 2023). "Universal Moves 'Strays' to August as 'Please Don't Destroy' Comedy Pivots to Peacock". TheWrap. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 15, 2022). "Strays: Universal Dates Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx & Will Forte Comedy For Summer 2023". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- "Strays Digital Release Date Confirmed". When To Stream. August 29, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 20, 2023). "'Blue Beetle' Still Eyes $25M; 'Strays' Goes To The Dogs With $8M+ – Saturday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
- Rubin, Rebecca (August 20, 2023). "Box Office: 'Blue Beetle' Stumbles With $25 Million Debut, Ends 'Barbie's' Four-Week Streak". Variety. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 27, 2023). "'Gran Turismo' & 'Barbie' Bumping Heads With $17M+ Each This Weekend; Doll Leading National Cinema Day Early Admissions – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- "Strays". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- "Strays". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 3, 2023.