By Mark Fields
Strays
A formidable array of comedic talent — Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, and Randall Park — has been assembled for Strays, a CGI-heavy dog-centric R-rated comedy. So, one would hope for better than this vulgar, scatological onslaught of a movie that features far more gross-outs and gags (somewhat literal) than genuine laughs. Essentially a four-legged quest story, with appealing mutt Reggie (Ferrell) collaborating with his new friends to help him get back to his pothead loser owner Doug (Forte). After one adjusts to the idea of non-animated talking dogs, the CGI pooches integrate well with the rest of the live-action sequences. There are intermittent laughs and a few memorable moments, but the charms of the comedic canines quickly get overrun by the overall coarseness of the dialogue. The producers are banking that there is an attainable audience for this kind of juvenile humor — and there likely is but for this viewer, Strays is nothing more than a bowl of stale kibble.
