If the recent spate of comedies has taught me anything, it's that a movie can be funny, good (on its merits minus the comedy), have a likable cast... but if promotional marketing doesn't lure you into believing that comedy has at least two of those three, then it's unlikely to gain any traction or attention. Because we had a red band trailer, we knew exactly what kind of comedy it would provide. The plot felt basic enough not to expect Academy-level storytelling, so it's all down to that cast. we have dogs. do you love dogs? Combined with comedy, this may be the movie for you.
I don't want to overdo things as what you see in the red band trailer is the kind of comedy you get. The jokes are superficial with sex, drugs and a lot of foul language, mixed with a lot of doggy antics. You may not laugh the hardest you've ever laughed, but it just makes sure you laugh enough many times. The jokes are never embarrassing, just crude/attempted enough to keep the smiles leaking. Somewhere there is a PG version of this that could exist, and I don't know if it would bring enough "laughs" or "good stories" with the love of dogs to appeal to the masses, so clearly Lord & Miller knew their point. of sale was to attract the dirty ones.
Director: Josh Greenbaum
Writer: Dan Perrault
Stars: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher
The sell for me though was the dogs. I know if we had the option of hearing dogs' thoughts we'd rather not, but we ourselves have ways of communicating with them and this movie does exactly that. Because they do, for dog owners and dog lovers, this can trigger certain emotions that will make you want to go home, hug your dog, and reassure him that he is the greatest joy of your life. For all the moments that bring you frivolity, somewhere in your mind may be Sarah McLachlan singing "Angel" and reminding you that dogs (and many other domestic animals) tell us everything they feel without saying a word. and a raunchy slapstick comedy like this does it so easily in about 90 minutes.
I've never seen The Adventures of Milo & Otis or the live-action version of Lady and the Tramp, and I fast forward through those other dog food commercials where they use CGI to open their mouths, but I'm surprised when you have a movie. with animals like stars. Half the time I was watching, I was sitting there wondering how they got the shots they wanted. It's pretty adorable to think of these dogs as a cast of actors and they're trained to do certain things when commanded by the word "action"; in fact, this makes me feel bad for some of the dogs all over again when you put a funnel on them or push them off a couch for entertainment. There are times where I'm sure they use visual effects tricks outside of the mouth movement, but for the most part it feels like you're watching real dogs doing real action. Speaking of which, I almost feel like it would be a unique innocence if they didn't bother to move their mouths, so they speak more in "thought" than anything else. I think it would have worked well to anthropomorphize them a little less. That's neither here nor there, but it would save your budget if you tried it and it should still have a good effect.
Will Ferrell was where I find him best: playing a fish out of water character. In this case, a stray dog for the first time. Jamie Foxx was hilarious, but Randall Park as Hunter was my favorite and probably everyone else's as well. Rob Riggle seems like an obvious choice to voice a dog, but I felt his was a bit more out of place, not that much of a matter. Will Forte plays our main human character, and he's the perfect jerk to motivate our mutts. In fact, whenever humans were around, they really helped put together that wholesome touch that reminds us of the connection that makes dogs special as our best friends. This movie isn't written with much of the heart in mind, but in its very nature you'll find it if you care about our canine comrades as much as I do.
To tie it all together, it's funny enough without dividing and cheating by throwing animals in your face like the cast, and yet because it's short and simple, it's effective. They could have held back more on the R rating, but they have my blessing as a comedy if they think it will make an audience laugh. This works, and I enjoyed it.
Watch Strays 2023 Movie Trailer
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