Love it or hate it, everyone’s talking about Straw. The Netflix thriller, starring a powerhouse Taraji P. Henson, has rocketed into the Top 10 movies in the U.S. Still, the internet is split right down the middle.
Is it a gripping social commentary? Or another Tyler Perry trauma fest? Buckle up. This debate is heated.
Straw just clawed its way into the Top 10 in the U.S., which is a huge win, but let me tell you, the internet is divided. It seems like viewers are either hailing it as a storytelling triumph or, well, let’s just say they’re not holding back on the criticism. If you’ve seen it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
The latest project from Tyler Perry’s creative partnership with Netflix has indeed debuted with a strong audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. This is despite a less-than-enthusiastic reception from critics, a familiar pattern for Perry’s work. The film has the filmmaker writing, directing, and producing features under a multi-year, first-look deal.
However, Tyler Perry is once again facing familiar “allegations” from critics. For decades, he’s been criticized for making the traumatization of Black women a persistent theme in his work. In Straw, his latest “exercise in misogynoir for Netflix,” critics argue he “pulls out all the stops to break the camel’s back.” While many can relate and have fallen in love with the thriller, some are not so enthused, leading to a heated debate on social media, particularly Twitter, with two very polarized stands on the movie.
The film centers on Janiyah Watkinson (Taraji P. Henson), who is having what can only be described as one of the absolute worst days of her life. The trouble kicks off when her daughter, Aria (Gabrielle Jackson), desperately needs $40 for school lunch debt to avoid public shame. Then, Janiyah’s landlord threatens eviction if she doesn’t pay the rent that very day.
Things only spiral further at work. Janiyah gets into a minor altercation with a customer who attempts to purchase prohibited items with her WIC card. Her cantankerous boss, Richard (Glynn Turman), flat-out refuses to give her an advance on her paycheck. Later, when Janiyah confronts Richard about the money, the pair gets robbed by masked gunmen.
The harrowing situation turns violent when the thieves try to steal Janiyah’s backpack, which holds her daughter’s crucial seizure medication. A panicked Janiyah fights them off, bravely grabs their gun, and tragically shoots one of them dead. Then, in a blink, she kills her boss too. As if in a fugue state, Janiyah snatches her blood-splattered paycheck and heads to the bank across the street. However, her actions at the grocery store trigger a state-wide police investigation, quickly turning her bank trip into a hostage situation.
The rest of the film plays out like a Tyler Perry version of John Q, complete with a public rallying cry. The third act is reportedly “freighted with pointed digressions on the intractable racism in banking and healthcare systems,” and the inescapable Perry twist at the film’s core serves as its commentary on the Black mental health crisis.
So, have you watched Straw yet? What are your thoughts? Are you Team Triumph or Team Too Much? Dive into the comments and let us know!
