‘Straw’ Review: Taraji P. Henson and Teyana Taylor in Tyler Perry’s Reliably Overwrought Netflix Thriller

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In Tyler Perry’s latest movie, Straw, the main character, played by Taraji P. Henson (Janiyah Watkinson), experiences a truly dreadful day. The misfortune begins when Janiyah’s daughter Aria (Gabrielle Jackson) informs her that she requires $40 to settle her school lunch debt, or else the school authorities will embarrass her once more. As if that wasn’t enough, Janiyah receives a threat from her landlord that they will evict her on the same day unless she finds the necessary rent money.

At my workplace, things just seem to spiral downward: I find myself in a petty dispute with a customer attempting to purchase forbidden goods using her WIC card, and my boss, old grump Richard (Glynn Turman), denies me an early paycheck loan. To add insult to injury, when I approach Richard about the money shortage, we both fall victim to masked robbers.

In a tense moment, thieves attempt to take Janiyah’s backpack, containing her daughter’s essential seizure medication. Desperate, Janiyah resists and manages to seize one of the thieves’ guns, fatally shooting one assailant. In shock, she also ends up killing her own boss. It seems as if in a daze, Janiyah grabs her bloody paycheck from the desk and rushes to the bank nearby to cash it. However, her subsequent actions at the grocery store trigger a state-wide police investigation in Georgia, causing her visit to the bank to become a nerve-wracking hostage situation.

Following a short venture into historical narratives such as “A Jazzman’s Blues” and “The Six Triple Eight”, Perry once again delves back into the intensely dramatic films that brought him recognition. Viewers of the director will notice the blend of exaggerated characters and formulaic plotlines that lead to the climactic finish in “Straw”. This movie shares striking similarities with Abi Damaris Corbin’s gripping thriller “Breaking”, which debuted at Sundance a few years ago. In this film, John Boyega portrayed a war veteran who robbed a bank for $892, an amount the Department of Veterans Affairs owed him. His character, similar to Janiyah’s, is driven into a desperate predicament by a system that has let him down. Michael K. Williams, in one of his final roles, played a hostage negotiator who formed a connection with Boyega’s character due to shared backgrounds and past experiences.

In the series “Straw,” Teyana Taylor‘s character, Detective Raymond, serves as Williams’ counterpart. She is a Black woman on the force who empathizes with Janiyah, another character, when she recognizes that she has reached her breaking point as a single mother. Unlike other officers who suspect Janiyah of setting up her boss due to unspecified reasons, Raymond understands this is a woman who has faced numerous hardships. Their dialogues often involve shared experiences about the harsh reality of how society unfairly treats poor and working-class Black women with callous disregard. In many ways, “Straw” can be seen as a gender-swapped version of “Breaking Bad,” exploring instead the plight of Black single mothers struggling to make ends meet in a biased system.

Straw isn’t the poorest movie in Perry’s collection, but it shares the same issues that are common across all his productions. The storyline is packed with overly dramatic metaphors, intricate plot twists, and forced emotional tension. However, the film’s strongest aspects can be credited to Henson, whose acting infuses even the most exaggerated scenes with a touch of genuine emotion. From the very beginning, when her character stirs awake to the rhythmic noise from her upstairs neighbor, we empathize deeply with her. Despite battling financial difficulties and preparing her daughter for school who has seizures, Janiyah still finds moments to show compassion towards Benny, a homeless man who frequently begs outside her apartment complex. Regardless of how people treat her, Janiyah always responds with kindness.

However, the single mother appears noticeably weary. Juggling between her daughter’s school, work, and dealing with calls from school administrators and creditors, it seems like she never gets a moment’s rest. In this bank, clutching a gun that she’d stolen, she just wants to cash her check for $500. There’s an underlying sadness in her desperate act. Nicole, the branch manager portrayed by Shepherd, senses this; though fearful, she responds with kindness towards Janiyah.

In Henson’s portrayal, the character exhibits layers that could have been simple and one-dimensional in Perry’s everyday screenplay. When Janiyah reassures the frightened bank patrons that this is merely a misunderstanding, she appears not as a menacing figure but rather on the brink of emotional collapse.

As a gamer, navigating through the story, I find Straw’s progression feels more like a routine than an immersive journey. There are moments that make me chuckle, some scenes that make me cringe, and a few instances where I feel a deep connection with the characters. However, it’s the heartfelt bond between Henson, Taylor, and Shepherd’s characters – three extraordinary Black women fighting for visibility in a world that often overlooks them – that keeps me engaged throughout Perry’s film.

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2025-06-07 07:24