As a child, I always had a fondness for the talking animal genre due to its light-hearted nature and endearing animal stars. So, when I came across the concept for Strays, it piqued my interest because it seemed to blend adult humor with the “child-like” talking animal theme that was popular in the early and mid-2000s. Regrettably, what had the potential to be a side-splitting comedy infused with heartwarming dog-centered moments ultimately ended up as a one-dimensional film characterized by underwhelming humor and a cringe-worthy script.
Reggie is a good boy owned by a bad man Doug. Doug took Reggie when his girlfriend broke up with him solely because it meant she couldn’t have him. He treats Reggie terribly and even plays a game with him called “fetch and f**k” as Reggie calls it where he drops Reggie off far from home and has him fetch the ball he throws in the woods. However, Reggie always finds his way home. Seeing how Doug can’t seem to get rid of Reggie he drops him off three hours away, leaving Reggie as a stray.
Strays only has one joke that it retells for the entire hour and a half film. Although sex humor isn’t my favorite kind of humor, it can be successful when done well, for example The Girl Next Door, Blockers, and Superbad. The humor comes from the script focusing on d*ck humor, dogs pooping and peeing, and humping jokes. It was a constant copy and pasting of the same lines in every situation making this “comedy” stale.
When creating a film with dogs at the center, it is so easy to add even a little bit of emotional appeal for dog lovers and owners. Although Strays tries to use Reggie’s terrible owner Doug as the catalyst to show that dogs SHOULD be loved and cared for, it comes off as a no-brainer that doesn’t evoke any emotion from the audience. With a task so easy to accomplish with even a little bit of effort, this movie wasn’t able to even add a small amount of heart to make up for its repetitive humor.
The only upside to Strays is that the film utilizes real dogs for a majority of the film. Missing the days where filmmakers would use real animals rather than using CGI as an easier method, it was nice to see animals being trained for a much more enjoyable dog experience. The cast is also adorable. Strays is an easy skip upon seeing the trailer. If the humor doesn’t get you there neither will the film.
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I heard some buzz about You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah on Netflix and thought I’d check it out. Adam Sandler has been putting out some good content as of late, so I thought I’d give this one a watch. However, I personally did not find it all that enjoyable. I think it does a fairly good job of telling the story of a young Jewish girl navigating her time in high school, but as someone who has never been Jewish or a teenage girl, the content did not resonate with me the same way it would with someone who is more familiar with those experiences.
That’s not to say it’s poorly handled or unenjoyable, but I don’t believe that it appealed well to larger audiences. I do think the two main leads do a pretty good job, and their main conflict becomes more engaging as the movie progresses. I also enjoyed Adam Sandler’s performance a LOT in this film; he’s not an annoying character but rather more grounded, playing a simpler version of some of his other characters. His recent performances have been quite impressive, and I’ve enjoyed seeing him thrive. Idina Menzel is also always fun to watch in a movie, and that holds true for this one.
Where You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah lost me was during its first two-thirds. None of the establishing material was particularly gripping, and I found many of the characters to be unrelatable. This movie seemed to want to take a similar approach to Eighth Grade but from a different perspective and with more overt, sometimes annoying humor. In some regards, the movie succeeded in that endeavor, but it also made it challenging to watch at times. While you end up sympathizing with the characters by the end, many of them are so unlikable that it remains difficult to truly empathize with their situations.
There are some moments of heart and humor that shine through in this movie, and I’m glad the Sandler family has this film to bond over, but it just didn’t resonate with me. I wouldn’t call it atrocious, but it’s not something I will ever feel the need to revisit.
Follow Billy (the Author) on IG – @teen.reviews.movies
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