REVIEW: ‘Fixed’ Is A Neutering Comedy That Should Have Been Snipped At The Script Stage
- Emma Fisher
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
This article contains spoilers for Fixed.
Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, Fixed arrives on Netflix on August 13 after fifteen years in the making. It’s an animated adult comedy that dares to ask: what if your dog found out he was going to be neutered and had 24 hours to get laid before the snip? And what if, in the process, the film humiliated itself more than the dog?
We open with Bull (Adam Devine), an adorable family pet adopted with open arms. Cut to two years later, and well, things have taken a turn. Bull is now enthusiastically humping Nana's leg, which, in turn, knocks her glasses onto the floor. In the ensuing chaos, she grabs what she thinks are her glasses, but to the horror of all, finds she's clutching something else of Bull's in a scene that sets the tone for what is to come: lowbrow comedy that is as subtle as a brick.
The father walks in, admonishes Bull for the Nana incident, and the mortified mutt bolts, his nether regions aflame. He attempts to solve the situation by diving straight into a girl's frozen yoghurt, before continuing a spree of increasingly desperate relief-seeking with bags, fruit bowls, and everything else in between.
Once outside, Bull sees Honey (Kathryn Hahn), a refined show dog who leans over the garden fence like a canine Juliet to Bull’s Romeo. She’s the object of his affection, which is clearly returned, but their worlds couldn't be more different. Honey is an elegant Afghan hound fated for another, and he's a scrawny Staffordshire Bull Terrier with no chance (or so he thinks).
Bull’s crew is an odd mix that works well amidst the film's shortcomings. It features Rocco (Idris Elba), a gruff sidekick with a British accent; Fetch (Fred Armisen), a self-important influencer dog who refers to his owner as “Mother” to the chagrin of the rest and brags about his free dental treats (thanks to his follower count of 900); and Lucky (Bobby Moynihan), who is introduced mid-cat-shit snack. Together, they head to Wiggly Field Dog Park, where nose-to-rear greetings are commonplace and crude jokes are the norm.
It's here where Sterling (Beck Bennett), another show dog (and clear rival for Honey’s affections), enters the picture. The tension is obvious: Honey’s heart belongs to Bull, but she doubts he’d want a dog like her. He does, of course, but Bull’s world is about to be upended thanks to park gossip and a Kool-Aid-filled toilet bowl waiting for him at home. Translation: He’s booked in for the snip.
Convinced that losing his best assets (his words, not mine) will render him undesirable, Bull pushes his friends away and decides to flee. Naming his left testicle “Ol’ Spice” (larger, spicier) and his right “Napoleon” (small, bossy), he sets off into the world. Within minutes, hunger strikes, and salvation comes in the form of a food festival.
From here, things get increasingly bizarre. Fume inhalation leads to hallucinations, animated conversations with his testicles, and an ill-advised pursuit involving a cat with knitting and tennis balls. Soon, the crew arrives to support Bull, the cats hypnotise the dogs, battles erupt, and the group find themselves mutilating a squirrel and dodging traffic outside a restaurant.
Honey reappears, but the reunion with Bull is short-lived as she and her owner are late for the dog show. Believing this to be his chance to tell her he loves her, Bull and his friends don a disguise to infiltrate the show. Sterling basks in the spotlight, Honey is awarded Best Breed, and Rocco is mistaken for Reginald, a fellow show dog, and put on display, much to his shock. Idris Elba is entertaining as Rocco, particularly when referencing his obvious mother issues, but you can’t help but wonder how he ended up here, given his past work.
The madness escalates when the group follows some overheard mutts to the Humphouse (essentially a canine brothel), where Frankie (River Gallo), the bouncer, becomes an object of Lucky’s devotion. This sequence contains an orgy scene so bewildering it’s difficult to know whether to laugh, cry, or find the remote to put an end to it.
Elsewhere, Bull nearly succumbs to temptation with a Honey lookalike named Molasses, only for the real Honey to walk in. Misunderstandings and disappointments ensue, leading to police involvement and a stint in custody. Kathryn Hahn, ever a comedic delight, gives Honey a warmth here that occasionally cuts through the barrage of crude gags, leaving you invested in the will-they-won't-they nature of her and Bull.
The homeward stretch ramps up both the chaos and the crude humour. With romantic tensions running high and rival Sterling closing in, Bull finds himself in an unexpectedly compromising situation that tests both his dignity and his devotion. It’s a turning point that forces him to put his feelings for Honey above his pride, leading to a moment that’s equal parts absurd and uncomfortable to watch.
The story then jumps ahead, offering a glimpse of a new chapter for Bull and Honey that’s softer in tone but no less laced with the film’s trademark humour. Before the credits, we’re whisked back to the Humphouse where Honey, her friends, and other female dogs gawk at a performer’s assets. It’s a final flourish of the film’s unrelenting fixation with canine genitalia.
Overall, Fixed is built entirely around one joke, and it’s not a particularly funny one. It’s crude, crass, and determined to shock, but the gags range from mildly amusing to deeply uncomfortable. The animation is colourful and energetic, and the voice cast throw themselves into the absurdity with admirable commitment, but the script’s single-minded obsession leaves little room for subtlety.
For some viewers, the film’s relentless vulgarity will hit the mark, but for others (me included), the experience is less laugh-out-loud and more exhausting. It’s hard not to feel sympathy for the animators, who have clearly poured talent and energy into the project, only for it to languish on the shelf before release. But watching Fixed, you begin to understand why it stayed there so long.
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
About Fixed
Premiere Date: August 13 2025
Producer: Michelle Murdocca
Writer: Genndy Tartakovsky, Jon Vitti, Steve Greenberg
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Production: Sony Pictures Animation
Distribution: Netflix
Cast: Adam Devine, Idris Elba, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Bobby Moynihan, Beck Bennett, Michelle Buteau, and River Gallo
Synopsis: From visionary director Genndy Tartakovsky comes “Fixed,” an adult animated comedy about Bull, an average, all-around good dog who discovers he’s going to be neutered in the morning! As the gravity of this life-altering event sets in, Bull realizes he needs one last adventure with his pack of best friends as these are the last 24 hours with his balls! What could go wrong...?