Warning: Some SPOILERS lie forward for Straw!
Tyler Perry is inarguably one of many hardest-working administrators on the market, considerably to his personal detriment; he is simply unfold too skinny. With Straw, it virtually seems like he tried to channel among the exhaustion and frustration with the world round him by means of the filter of a struggling single mom, and whereas there are definitely moments during which it successfully pulls on the heartstrings, it principally simply left me exhausted.
Written and directed by Perry, Straw facilities on Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah, a girl who works two jobs to assist her and her daughter, Aria, who lives with a number of sicknesses. On a day filled with unlucky occasions for her, together with being fired from one among her jobs, threatened with eviction, and her automotive impounded after a crooked off-duty police officer pit maneuvers her automotive out of rage, Janiyah finds herself pushed previous the brink and touchdown in the course of a harmful state of affairs.
Straw’s More and more Downtrodden Story Is Extra Groan-Worthy Than Efficient
I Was So Pissed off By How Pressured All the things Felt
Tales of characters snapping after one dangerous day do admittedly want a way of urgency or a catalyst to successfully convey the motivations behind a protagonist happening a rampage, of types, however Straw‘s setup is just too pressured to the purpose of being predictable. From Janiyah’s journey to her daughter’s faculty leading to an unlucky look by Baby Protecting Providers, to the specter of eviction coming true, and her boss exhibiting nothing however apathy for his workers, it seems like everybody’s out to get her.
One among my greatest points with the film’s plot is its ending, which… shortly turns right into a cop-out conclusion.
That is all of the extra evident when Janiyah finds herself on the incorrect facet of the regulation, with each subsequent occasion being a too-obvious try and ratchet up the stress. Principally, it is simply illogical and irritating. Her apathetic boss instantly blames her for the tried theft of the shop, regardless of her stopping the theft and taking pictures and killing one of many robbers, whereas some police flip a blind eye to their crooked counterparts, and some folks attempt to take a second to speak or hearken to what she’s saying.
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One among my greatest points with the film’s plot is its ending, which kicks off with an enormous plot twist that really left me feeling slightly emotional and sympathizing with Janiyah, however shortly turns right into a cop-out conclusion. A random imaginative and prescient of cops storming the financial institution she’s believed to be holding hostage and taking pictures her down not solely feels so misplaced in comparison with the remainder of the film’s tone, however can also be instantly undone as she’s calmed down by Sherri Shepherd’s Nicole. It removes all rigidity for the remaining moments of the movie.
Straw Appears So Cheaply Made
The Movie Seems Dangerous
Produced in Georgia, reportedly over simply 4 days, I used to be actually greatly surprised by simply how dangerous Straw appeared. Given it is a grounded story, it definitely did not want any grand camerawork or hyperstylized enhancing. Nevertheless, it did not really feel like Perry and his manufacturing crew put a lot effort into the film’s visible design. The units all appear to be actual companies they merely rented out and did nothing completely different to them, the costumes are all comparatively easy, and the sudden rainstorm that happens midway by means of the movie definitely feels heavy, however the surrounding skyline and lighting betray it.
Taraji P. Henson Genuinely Deserves An Award For Her Efficiency Right here
Sherri Shepherd Is Additionally A Nice Supporting Participant
As pissed off as I used to be with the vast majority of the film’s story and writing, the one factor that actually stored me watching was Taraji P. Henson’s magnificent efficiency. The Oscar nominee actually held nothing again in enjoying Janiyah, making each misunderstanding and misstep really feel all of the extra painful for us to observe. Particularly, her massive monologue that comes slightly previous the movie’s midway level, during which she lays out every little thing that has occurred to her, is so successfully performed that it makes me dissatisfied the remainder of the film would not dwell as much as her greatness.
Whereas I’ve combined opinions on the remainder of Straw‘s solid, Henson’s wonderful work can also be supported by a robust flip from Sherri Shepherd as Nicole, the financial institution supervisor. She does a significant job of discovering the sympathetic coronary heart of the character amidst her fears of being caught in an obvious hostage state of affairs, permitting us to additional join with Janiyah as we root for her to lastly get a win in her life.
Straw is now streaming on Netflix.
STRAW
4/10
- Launch Date
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June 6, 2025
- Runtime
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105 minutes
- Director
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Tyler Perry
- Writers
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Tyler Perry
- Taraji P. Henson is awards-worthy and Sherri Shepherd brings coronary heart to her character.
- The film’s late-game plot twist is definitely emotionally efficient.
- The plot’s collection of missteps feels extra pressured than natural.
- The manufacturing design and visible palette look very low-cost.
- The script’s makes an attempt at social commentary are far too on-the-nose.