''Strays'' is a 1997 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written, directed, produced by, and starring

Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise. Diesel began auditi ...

, which follows a drug dealer and hustler who is fed up with the repetitious lifestyle he leads and begins looking for meaning in his life. It marked Diesel's feature film directing debut and takes a hard look at his own adolescence and upbringing in New York City.

Synopsis

Frustrated by the repetitious grind of

one-night stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

s and aimless hustling, Rick (

) is looking for meaning in his life. Like his testosterone-tweaked buddies, Rick is a stray looking for a traditional family structure and wrestling unconsciously with his own father's absence. He sells small amounts of marijuana to cover the expenses of his own use but insists that he is not doing it for a living. When he meets Heather ( Suzanne Lanza), the girl next door, he suddenly perceives a new avenue and an opportunity for a new, committed relationship. Trying to assimilate into Heather's world, Rick takes heat from his perpetually adolescent cohorts whose ambitions are restricted to riding fast, toking slow, and ditching hard. Though the chemistry between the couple is immediately charged, Rick's street chic and volatile aggression threaten to extinguish their relationship before it has ever begun.

Cast

as Rick * Suzanne Lanza as Heather * Joey Dedio as Fred *F. Valentino Morales as Tony *

Mike Epps Michael Elliot Epps (born November 18, 1970) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Day-Day Jones in '' Next Friday'' and its sequel, '' Friday After Next'', and also appeared in ''The Hangover'' and '' The Hangover Part III'' as ...

as Mike *T.K. Kirkland as Rodney *

Darnell Williams Darnell Williams (born 3 March 1955) is a British-born soap opera actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Jesse Hubbard on the ABC soap opera ''All My Children'' from 1981 to 1988, and from 2008 to 2011, a role which has earned him two D ...

as Keith *Mihaela Tudorof as Danielle *Eugene Osborne Smith as Willie *Temple Brooks as Amy *Loni Sabrina Stuart as Nicole *Deangela Parrish as Suzanne *Marko Kalfa as Chris *Joey Iovino as Kenny *Louis Albert von Steidl as Jerry Saperstein *Sean M. Silverstein as Timothy (voice) *Helen M. Mitchell as Bookstore Clerk *Freddie Pendavis as Arthur *Denise Carrasco as Tanya *Taquana Harris as Melba *Marlo Morales as Kiki *Rudy "Rush" McCallum as Sevon

External links

* * 1997 films 1997 drama films American drama films Films directed by Vin Diesel 1997 directorial debut films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-drama-film-stub