Our Take: Strays is lowbrow and moronic, obsessed with poop and puke, crudely hacked together and seemingly written by and for prepubescent boys to sneak-watch when their parents aren't paying attention. Its visual acuity is hampered by the limitations of working with a primary cast consisting of trained animals.
The Strays' social satire is sharp enough, but its bite is softened by a messy plot and an overall lack of discipline. A wasted opportunity to entertain while making the audience think about some serious subjects, The Strays fails as social commentary or psychological thriller.
I would not classify it anywhere close to horror unless you accept the hallucinations of the main character and her possible "mental illness" as real. The Strays really is an attempt at social commentary by way of revenge fantasy (a la Quentin Tarantino).
The Strays showed us how people sometimes don't learn from their mistakes and aren't as innocent as they appear to be. The moment that Neve's new perfect life became not so perfect, she abandoned everyone in her life and chose herself once more.
“Strays” is definitely a treat, especially for dog lovers who will howl with laughter and also cry at its empathetic understanding that we all, furry or otherwise, just want to be loved.
Strays is fun and funny from beginning to end. The hit rate on the comedic attempts is high. Most of it made me laugh out loud. The rest made me at least smile.
Much like fellow British thriller I Came By, The Strays is getting an unintentionally timely release as Neve's story has ties to mental health struggles and an abusive relationship, topics that have become more prevalent over the past few years.
The significance of hair in The Strays reveals Neve's struggle to fit into white society and her attempt to hide her true identity, represented through her use of wigs.
Although The Strays on Netflix is not based on a true story, Nathaniel did admit to Radio Times that his directorial debut was inspired by a story that he once heard from his own mother. "[It] was about a woman who essentially was denying the fact that she had two Black children," he revealed to the outlet.
It's not as funny or unsettling as it needs to be, with a predictable end-of-act-one twist and a conclusion that's surprising in its logic, but isn't precluded by the nerve-wracking buildup of suspense it needs to pack a serious wallop.
Strong crude sexualised material involving visual comedic scenes of sexual activity involving animals such as dogs and squirrels. A man is seen masturbating vigorously on numerous occasions. Animals' genitals are seen multiple times. It's implied that Doug is a sex offender.
This is the reason we barely see comedy movies any more, let alone R-rated ones that don't hold back. Strays is fun and funny from beginning to end. The hit rate on the comedic attempts is high. Most of it made me laugh out loud.
What to Know. Crudely effective and effectively crude, Strays is more amusing than hilarious, but this comedy's scattershot humor is partly offset by its surprisingly big heart. Strays is funny enough to recommend as a raunchy good time -- just know that it definitely isn't for kids or the easily offended.
Cumulatively, the f-words and s-words alone add up to at least 260 instances. That's nearly three every minute in this 93-minute film—and that doesn't even count any of the other vulgarities. Sure, Strays has a few funny jokes about dog behavior that don't rely on references to genitals, poop or drugs.
Violent scenes/references are largely played for humor and include the canine characters seriously mauling and maiming others, to bloody effect on a couple of occasions. Bloody animal carcasses are also seen, and there are references to severe animal neglect and abuse.
Diagnosed by the Audience: Neve is occasionally seen taking unknown red pills. Considering the hallucination she experiences throughout the film, they pills might be a treatment for a mental disorder. However, some Redditors have suggested that they are actually skin bleaching pills.
Several years later, Cheryl is now Neve and has built up a successful life in the suburbs with her husband Ian (Justin Salinger) and her two children Sebastian (Samuel Small) and Mary (Maria Almeida). She's working as the deputy head of the local private school and arranging a charity gala in a few days' time.
In a story about class separation, race, abandonment, and appropriation The Strays and director Nathaniel Martello-White tell the story of Neve/Cheryl (Ashley Medekwe), a light-skinned Black woman who walks out on her two young Black children Carl (Jordan Myrie) and Dione (Bukky Bakray), and begins a brand-new life in ...
Not quite a cameo, but still an important contribution, was the Snoop Dogg track “Gz and Hustlas,” which plays over the closing credits — something Greenbaum says he knew he wanted early on. “I love Snoop — of course I wanted to get him in there,” he says.
As such, Strays 2 is not confirmed, but it also hasn't been entirely ruled out as well. The fate of Strays 2 will depend on the long-term success of the original, and it will also hinge on the box office take.
Director Josh Greenbaum used real dogs instead of CGI canines for a more authentic feel, with 95% of the movie featuring real animals. "Strays" performed well with fans, earning a "B+" CinemaScore and a 73% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, despite mixed reviews from critics.
