WARWICK SHOWCASE

STRAYS
* * ½
Super-gross comedy

Let there be no doubt about it, “Strays’ is a super-gross comedy that carries a big R rating because of its bathroom and sexual humor, reference to body parts, foul language and all around low humor.

Reggie is terribly abused by his low-life owner (Will Forte) whose favorite game is driving the mongrel far from his shabby home, throwing a tennis ball, and taking off without him.

The poor dog thinks this is a game, and always finds his way back home until the day he is taken to the big city and left on his own.

Reggie makes friends with three strays who teach him survival skills and advise him that his owner is not the nice guy he thinks he is.

The movie follows the pack of dogs as they survive the big city and find their way back to seek revenge on Reggie’s owner.

I thought as I was watching the movie that under different writers, this could have been turned into a lovely little children’s story with loads of good messages about survival and forgiveness.

But no, everything is below the belt, including the violent revenge scene.

The dogs engage in conversations about sex, poop, and low living constantly. They set the Guiness record for dogs using the F word.

While there are some funny moments (A hawk scooping up one of the dogs/the dogs getting high on mushrooms), most of the movie is filled with constant chatter.

There is a socially redeeming moment when the dogs become heroes, finding a lost girl scout.

That is followed by an ultra-gross scene involving dog poop.

Voices include Will Farrell and Jamie Fox.

It’s a bit too much.

AVON

PASSAGES
* * ½
Bi-sexual Love and Desire

A gay couple are living what appears to be an ideal life until one of them has a fling with a woman and becomes conflicted over his sexuality, bouncing from one bed to another with his two lovers aware of the affairs.

“Passages” has been praised by some critis as being “Brutally funny”, but I some little humor in the antics of a man who wanted it both ways. You could have substituted another man for him to have an affair with and the movie would be even more of a bore.

I sat through an hour and a half of watching a selfish man bounce from two relationships, thinking little about the emotional hurt he was causing his two partners.

Spoiler: At least he gets what he deserves in the end.