Summary

• Strays is a raunchy, R-rated comedy that cleverly parodies classic animal adventure films, combining cute dogs with adult humor.
• The movie features an impressive voice cast led by Jamie Foxx and Will Ferrell, who bring humor to the film despite its crude comedy.
• The new trailer for Strays showcases even more raunchy and hilarious adventures of the talking dogs, and it could be the final push the movie needs to become a surprise hit.

The animal comedy Strays promises to shock audiences with its raunchy humor, as indicated by its all-star cast, its wild premise and story, its R rating, the movie's NSFW trailer, and more. Cleverly lampooning the classic animal adventure films of the past, 2023's Strays combines lovable dogs with a heaping helping of blue humor. The movie sports an impressive voice cast of notable names, and it aims to draw in a more adult audience despite featuring a host of cute pooches. Not afraid to wear its high rating proudly, much of the promotion for Strays has touted that the film has earned an R rating from the MPA.

With Hollywood powerhouse Jamie Foxx and comedy and voice-acting legend Will Ferrell leading up the voice cast, Strays puts its emphasis on humor, even if that comedy is crude. Despite Strays' obvious raunchy nature, director Josh Greenbaum has shown in previous films, like Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar, that he can deliver a clever movie that elevates itself above its silly jokes. Even if Strays isn't a masterpiece of modern cinema, the concept of the movie alone is enough to draw interest, and having supporting actors like Randall Park and Isla Fisher in the mix adds to the appeal of what was already a stacked ensemble.

Strays Latest News

The latest Strays movie news drops some brand-new footage just ahead of the movie's release. The new Strays trailer gives an even raunchier look into the R-rated adventures of these adorable canines as they make their way back home. The movie is betting on the fact that audiences will be curious about checking out of an R-rated talking animal movie and leans into that fun premise with this new trailer. The voice cast also provide a fun spark to the movie and there is even an unexpected cameo from Dennis Quaid. The trailer could be the last push the movie needs to be a surprise hit late in the summer season.

Strays Release Date

The Strays release date is just around the corner with the comedy hitting theaters on August 18, 2023. The new release date for Strays was once held by the upcoming comedy from the Saturday Night Live comedy group Please Don't Destroy, which moved to Peacock. The late summer release gives some distance from the big blockbusters that will be drawing the crowds and the R-rated comedy offers a solid counter-programming option to Blue Beetle.

Why Strays Is Rated R

One of the most notable parts of the early marketing for Strays is that the movie is not only crude but raunchy enough to score an R rating. According to the MPA, the movie was flagged for its use of "pervasive language," which is clear from the trailer, but it also apparently features drug use and sexual situations. The rating system is not an exact science, but Strays was also likely also given such a high rating because of its closeness to family-friendly content. Dog movies are typically safe for viewers of any age, and Strays could have been slapped with an R to prevent any confusion from families.

Strays Voice Cast

Despite Strays voice cast mostly all playing dogs, the movie was able to assemble a star-studded ensemble that is headed up by the likes of Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx in the lead roles. Ferrell voices the naive and lovable dog Reggie and is joined by Foxx, who portrays the streetwise stray named Bug. Also filling out the cast, Randall Park lends his voice to a therapy dog Great Dane named Hunter, and Isla Fisher plays Australian Shepherd Maggie. Will Forte plays the human character Doug while Rob Riggle, Sofía Vergara, Josh Gad, and Harvey Guillén play as-yet-unspecified roles.

Strays Story Details

Though Strays was originally announced to be an animated feature, the trailer makes it abundantly clear that the movie is entirely live-action. Despite that, the story doesn't seem to have changed from earlier press releases, and its raunchy humor is the only thing separating it from the typical dog movie fare. In Strays, a selfish human named Doug (Will Forte) abandons his pet dog Reggie (Will Ferrell) because he doesn't want the responsibility of owning a pet. After being abandoned by his owner, Reggie then meets a fellow stray named Bug (Jamie Foxx) who helps him plot his revenge against Doug.

As funny as the plot of Strays sounds, it actually seems to contain a surprisingly deep message for a movie that relies so heavily on blue humor throughout. It is obvious that the idea of pet abandonment is at the heart of the story, and the raunchy comedy contains strong themes about the responsibility of pet ownership mixed with the usual jokes that have made the likes of Will Ferrell so popular. Though dog movies usually speak to the youngest audience possible, Strays can use its over-the-top crass humor to impart an important moral to its adult viewers.

Strays Trailer

The second Strays trailer continued to sell this movie as the can't-miss comedy of the summer with vulgarity, raunchy humor, and cute dogs looking like a winning mix. The trailer finds Will Ferrell's more innocent dog Reggie meeting a new group of pooches, led by Jamie Foxx's Bug, and being shown how to embrace being a "bad dog." This involves drinking beer and eating mushrooms along with cursing out a mailman on a billboard. On top of all that, Dennis Quaid pops in for an appearance. The trailer continues to promise big laughs from Strays and it will soon be seen how many people it can draw to the theater with this R-rated approach.