Blu-ray Review: STRAYS (Unleashed Edition)

Home » Blu-ray Review: STRAYS (Unleashed Edition)

Oct 08, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Border Terrier Reggie (Will Ferrell) is a perennial glass-half-full kind of puppy, completely oblivious to the fact that his owner Doug (Will Forte) is a deadbeat, terrible person who treats him like garbage. After Reggie accidentally breaks Doug’s favorite bong, that’s the last straw, and Doug drives Reggie miles ways, abandoning him in the city. But Reggie just thinks it’s another one of Doug’s games, where he’s supposed to find his way back home.

Reggie soon meets street-wise Boston Terrier Bug (Jamie Foxx) and his friends, Australian Shepherd Maggie (Isla Fisher) and Great Dane Hunter (Randall Park), who are horrified as Reggie happily recounts tales about his great owner. They make Reggie realize that he’s in a toxic relationship, and that Doug isn’t the wonderful owner he thinks he is. So Reggie decides that he’s going to head back home and teach Doug a lesson, by taking the one thing Doug loves more than anything else in the world…his penis. He’s going to chomp Doug’s d**k off! Reggie’s not quite sure how to get back home, and he’s running out of time as Doug may be moving soon. So his new friends decide to join him on his road trip to revenge.

Strays is a hilarious, raunchy, laugh-out-loud comedy that is not only a fun sendup of those sappy talking dog films like A Dog’s Purpose, but it also has a lot of heart of its own. The movie also pays homage to several other genre’s like war and action movies. While the main characters are talking dogs, they feel more like fully fleshed out people with feelings and issues. Most of the film is done practically, with real dogs, and special effects make their mouths move perfectly in-sync with the voices, so you almost instantly forget that these dogs aren’t actually friends, talking to one another and on a real adventure. The animal acting combined with the comedic voice talent really makes these pups’ personalities come to life.

Bug once lived with a family, but after an accident, he was thrown onto the streets, where he learned to act tough and pretend like nothing can hurt him. When he sees Reggie being bullied by some other big dogs, he steps in to protect him, and starts teaching him about living life as a stray (even though Reggie insists that he’s not actually a stray). Meanwhile, Hunter is a massive-sized dog (and as noted several times, very well endowed), but he’s a bit of a coward. He trained to be a police dog, but now works as a therapy dog for terminally ill patients. He wears a cone around his neck to try to tune out the world. Maggie was once the apple of her owner’s eye, but now she’s been replaced with a younger Instagram-worthy puppy. No matter how hard she tries to impress her owner, she’s just ignored. Though Maggie has an excellent sense of smell.

As the dogs head out on their journey, they face various obstacles, including dangerous birds, a carnival, hallucinogenic mushrooms, police dogs, the dog pound, and more. But they become friends along the way, and help one another face and overcome some of their own shortcomings and insecurities. They also get into some hilarious situations. The language is very adult, with lots of cursing, and talk about sex and drugs, penises, and so much scatological and bodily fluid humor. While some of this probably wouldn’t fly with human actors, it becomes 10 times funnier when you have these words and actions coming out of a puppy’s mouth. The film’s final act will most certainly have the audience howling with laughter.

The cast is hilarious, and you can tell they had a lot of fun improv-ing a lot of the lines. Will Ferrell is perfectly cast as the naive Reggie, who’s so trusting of people, but so clueless. Jamie Foxx is hilarious as the macho, always acting tough Bug. And Isla Fisher and Randall Park make a great pair, of these two dogs who obviously have a thing for one another but neither is willing to admit it. Will Forte rides the line perfectly as the horrible owner you love to hate, and are hoping to see him get his comeuppance, but that you don’t hate him so much that he makes the film unwatchable. There are also so many other great cameos in the film, including Josh Gad playing a dog from one of those sappy talking dog films, Sofía Vergara as Bug’s love Dolores the Couch, Rob Riggle as Rolf the Police dog, and more.

UPHE has only released Strays on Blu-ray & DVD, but it is also available in 4K via Digital. I was sent the Blu-ray for review. The picture quality is excellent, with an incredibly clean and clear picture throughout. There’s only one fire sequence that looks a bit too CGI, but otherwise the special effects are excellent, and really make you believe that these dogs are saying and doing everything. The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes nice use of the stereo and surround channel to make the film feel more immersive. The movie has an excellent music soundtrack that runs the gamut of genres, but the song selected for Reggie’s big moment at the end is pure perfection.

The Blu-ray release includes both a Blu-ray and a DVD, placed on either side of a standard HD keepcase, which is covered by a glossy embossed cardboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem an HD digital copy of the film, as well as a code to redeem for Universal Rewards points on the flip side. The bonus material is the same on both discs, consisting of a filmmaker commentary, and over 35 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:33:06)

1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 DTS Digital Surround, French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 1/31/2025):

HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)
Universal All-Access Rewards Code (Offer may not be valid after 1/31/2025)
Code can be redeemed for points towards a free digital movie via the Universal All-Access Rewards program. The selection of a dozen free digital titles usually changes around the first of the month.

Extras:
Play All, or select from:

Talk Like a Dog (7:10)
The cast and crew talk about casting the actors and what it was like playing these filthy but lovable animals, the improvisation, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Josh Greenbaum, writer/producer Dan Perrault, producers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Erik Feig, Louis Leterrier & Aditya Sood, and stars Will Ferrell (“Reggie”), Randall Park (“Hunter”), Isla Fisher (“Maggie”) & Jamie Foxx (“Bug”).
The Ultimate Treat: Making Strays (6:34)
The cast and crew talk about making a talking dog movie that subverts the usual family-friendly fare, improvisation, the cast, working with the animal actors, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, footage from the original pitch video, and interviews with writer/producer Dan Perrault, producers Louis Leterrier, Erik Feig, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, director Josh Greenbaum, and stars Isla Fisher, Will Ferrell, Randall Park & Will Forte (“Doug”).
Poop, Booms, and Shrooms (6:41)
The cast and crew talk about filming some of the sequences, including eating the psychedelic mushrooms, pooping in the dog pound, the carnival sequence, and the final revenge sequence. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Josh Greenbaum, producers Louis Leterrier, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, writer/producer Dan Perrault, property master Sean Mannion, and stars Will Ferrell, Randall Park, Brett Gelman (“Willy”) & Will Forte.
Will Forte: Stray Actor (5:57)
Star Will Forte talks about why he wanted to work on this film, and playing this hated character. The rest of the cast and crew talk about working with the actor, and why he was perfect for the role of Doug. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Josh Greenbaum, producers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Louis Leterrier, Aditya Sood & Erik Feig, writer/producer Dan Perrault, and stars Will Forte, Randall Park, Will Ferrell & Isla Fisher.
Training to be Stray (5:30)
The cast and crew talk about working with the canine cast and some of the tricks that were used to get them to perform.
Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Josh Greenbaum, head animal trainer/”Maggie” trainer Mark Forbes, “Maggie” trainer Raymond W. Beal, “Hunter” trainer Thomas Gunderson, “Reggie” trainer Mathilde DeCagny, “Bug” trainer April Mackin, “Hunter” trainer Kristy Gerosky, and actor Will Forte.
A New Best Friend (3:36)
The cast and crew talk about casting the dogs, their own love of canines, and how the director adopted one of the puppies who played the young Reggie. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Louis Leterrier, director Josh Greenbaum, and stars Brett Gelman, Will Forte & Will Ferrell.
Feature Commentary (1:33:06)
Director/Producer Josh Greenbaum and Screenwriter/Producer Dan Perrault provide a thoroughly entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film. They share lots of fun facts and behind-the-scenes stories about the production.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Strays is a hilarious, raunchy adult comedy that doesn’t hold anything back. However, in addition to all of the crass language and scatalogical humor, the film also has tremendous heart, making you really care about these characters. The voice cast is excellent, and will have you laughing-out-loud throughout—some of the things that come out of these puppies’ mouths (or just come out of them in general) is so wrong, but so hilarious. Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes a nice selection of bonus material. For those still on the fence, the film is currently streaming on Peacock, so you can check it out there first. But this will surely be a hit for fans of more adult-rated comedies.