Right after reviewing the tremendous Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, I went on holiday by mistake.
Did I miss anything? After Miss Imp – which I'm sure has gone on to be the summer's number one blockbuster – there didn't seem to be much of interest coming out, just a three-hour nuclear scientist biopic and another toy cash-in movie.
Now I'm back to a talking dog movie.
There comes a time in contemporary thespianic endeavours when one finds the voice that was born to rattle the ice cream lady’s tray at Stratford being projected out of the orifice of an animated animal/robot/sentient computer or piece of enchanted silverware.
In Strays, Will Ferrell finds himself speaking through the mouth of border terrier Reggie in a bawdy live-action twist on The Incredible Journey.
Given the film, he should be grateful that his contribution is at least going out the front end. The Incredible Journey is a beloved Disney classic about three pets, a cat and two dogs, who get lost on a family holiday and have to trek hundreds of miles through the Canadian wilderness to get back to their owners.
In Strays, Reggie believes that lazy, workshy, pothead Doug (Forte) is the best owner in the world, and when he dumps him hundreds of miles away from home and drives off, he thinks this is just their latest game of fetch.
Luckily potty-mouthed Boston Terrier Bug (Foxx) teaches him about life on the streets, and with Australian Shepherd Maggie (Fisher) and Great Dane Hunter (Park) they make the incredibly journey back to Doug on a mission of vengeance.
The key line is spoken by Hunter late on; "That was way more graphic than I expected," which goes for the whole film. It has jokes about every bodily function you can think of.
It's certainly not fit for children, (though they will of course love it when they stream it while you are out) and possibly not for grown ups either.
But, one has been so starved of big-screen comedy of late, that this anthropomorphic gross-out hybrid feels like a return to the carefree days of The Hangover and American Pie.
It's all done with such gonzo intensity and innovation that it's easy to be swept along with the hilarity. That said, its makers should probably all have their noses rubbed in it and told they have been bad, bad boys and must never, ever do it again.
Directed by Josh Greenbaum. Starring Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Randall Park and Will Forte. Running time: 93 mins. In cinemas.
Go to www.half-man-half-critic.weebly.com for reviews of the re-release of Lars Von Trier’s Breaking The Waves and Eureka’s Blu-ray of Buster Keaton’s first feature, 3 Ages.
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