The Stray is the new story of a dog who saves a family – in more ways than one. Based on a true story, The Stray is both serious drama and adventure story.
The whole family will relate to The Stray. The driving force for much of the story is the oldest son of the family, who is an elementary-aged boy, but his parents’ opposing perspectives on family life are driven home, as well. Themes of family, love, friendship, and forgiveness run through every scene of this movie.
That’s the very best aspect of this movie: the overall theme of the importance of family. It’s refreshing to see a movie on the big screen that emphasizes this. You’ll leave inspired to spend more quality time with your family.
The Stray makes this point uniquely, and the story is fascinating. I don’t want to spoil the plot, so I’ll be very vague, but parts of the movie were hard to watch. The family was suffering, and I hate to see that. Events alternately improve and worsen until the resolution, at which point every member of my family had tears streaming down their faces – even one who had never cried at a movie before.
That sadness was necessary, though, to highlight the ultimate sacrifice and joy brought about by that resolution. Without it, the highs couldn’t have been so great, and they really were great. They brought the message home and made you appreciate them much more than you ever could have otherwise.
There were funny parts in the story, and we enjoyed those immensely. They helped to lighten the mood when it got heavy, and it was done well.
There is a climactic scene that is intense, and so the movie may not be suitable for very young children. There is suspense and danger, and perhaps some wouldn’t be ready for that; but there is no violence, language issues, or sexual overtones. It’s one of the cleanest, most inspiring movies I’ve seen in years.
I’d definitely recommend making an outing to see The Stray.
Want to know more? You can watch the movie trailer here!
You can even win tickets to see it for free! Click here to enter the giveaway for a family pack of tickets.
I received free tickets to see The Stray in theaters opening weekend. All opinions are my own.
What are your thoughts?