Straw

Turned on Netflix, new release and started watching while doing tasks... 5 min into movie I had to sit and watch. The emotional journey for the character- Mom Janiyah, grips your heart and as you're watching the story be told- you realize you're rooting for her to not be alone and be okay. This story, the characters were all developed with complexity that each actor reflected so well- I didn't feel I was watching a movie but I felt apart of the story right up to the credits at end. Thank you for a well written story, talented actors and production that made 2 hrs worth watching- it's been a long time since I felt anything from a movie.

Love Tyler Perry's more serious stuff and his horrors. I was not disappointed with this film. Went in with just the synopsis. Sherri Shepards best performance and she was a joy to watch. Taraji P Henson and Sherri Shepard had one of the best platonic female chemistries I've seen on screen. I am not a crying person but I sobbed. I had to pause 14 minutes towards the end because the emotions I was going through felt like it was so true. Annoyed, anxiety, stress, tiered, scared, angry those emotions played out perfectly by the actors. A thriller indeed and one of Perrys best works to date. Taraji and Sherri deserve all the awards.

Taraji p. Henson earned every dollar on this project - she acted her heart out and truly carried the film. The writing still has that signature tyler perry cringe we've all come to expect, but this time it's handled with a bit more finesse and a noticeable step up in overall quality. Honestly, this is the best story he's written in a long while. The pacing kept me engaged, and the twist was genuinely unexpected - it caught me off guard in the best way. I really appreciated how everything wrapped up in the conclusion. If you're hesitant, i say give it a shot. It's worth watching and delivers a solid experience.

I've never seen a Tyler Perry movie before, but this is certainly not what I expected! The movie is absolutely heart-wrenching, with devastatingly emotional performances by Taraji P. Henson and the other actresses. Some of the side characters felt a little off, but not so much as to take away from the main story.

The movie is labelled as a thriller, but it feels more like a horror movie where the villain is America and its many oppressive systems that compound to make life difficult for everyday people.

The movie did feel a little too long at times, with certain elements dragging on unnecessarily long. The twist at the end was unexpected, but welcome, as it added another layer to the main character's actions and led me to revisit some early moments in the movie with a new perspective.

Overall, I thought it was very good, and I would recommend it.

Straw (2025) Review: A Promising Start Undone by Stereotypes and Narrative Chaos

Straw, the latest Netflix drama from Tyler Perry, begins with powerful promise. It introduces us to Janiyah Wiltkinson, a struggling single Black mother trying to raise her gifted but ill daughter while battling poverty, exhaustion, and a system that seems designed to break her. In these opening acts, the film resonates with raw, emotional weight. It's grounded, real, and heartbreakingly familiar to many.

Taraji P. Henson, as expected, is phenomenal. Her performance is layered, restrained, and utterly believable. She carries the film on her shoulders with ease, breathing life into Janiyah with a natural command of emotion and subtlety. Frankly, she deserves better than this script.

Unfortunately, once Straw moves beyond its grounded first act, it spirals into something that feels more like an overdone melodrama than a serious character study. The plot veers off course dramatically, leaning into bizarre twists, a hostage situation, media sensationalism, and ultimately a clumsy psychological reveal that undercuts the powerful social commentary it seemed to be building toward.

What's most disappointing, though, is how heavy-handed and stereotypical the supporting characters are. Many performances outside of Henson's feel wooden or overly theatrical. Characters are typecast to the extreme: the angry Black mother, the wise-cracking best friend, the hard-nosed detective, the corrupt white authority figure. These aren't characters - they're tropes, and they distract from the very real emotional core the story tries to establish early on.

As soon as the first white character enters the frame, it becomes glaringly obvious they'll be the antagonist - FBI, armed, and devoid of nuance. While Perry may have intended to critique racial injustice and systemic bias, the execution feels more like a hammer than a scalpel. The film leans heavily into racial undertones in a way that feels forced and, at times, exploitative rather than insightful. Instead of deepening the message, it dilutes it, making the viewer more aware of the agenda than the characters.

This approach also does a disservice to the narrative. Rather than allowing Janiyah's story to stand on its own - a tragic, human story about loss, desperation, and survival - Straw becomes preoccupied with pushing a broader political message. That message, while important, needed more finesse. It's possible to critique systems of oppression without reducing every character to a pawn in a racial chess game.

Technically, the film has its moments. The setting - mostly confined to a supermarket and police standoff - does generate a certain claustrophobic tension. But Perry's direction feels rushed, with some scenes lacking polish, and emotional beats sometimes missing their mark. It's worth noting that the film was shot in just six days, which might explain some of the unevenness in pacing and performance.

There are bright spots: Teyana Taylor as the detective brings some grounded empathy, and Sinbad's brief appearance adds heart. But even these moments can't save a film that loses its grip on reality and emotional authenticity halfway through.

In the end, Straw could have been a compelling, character-driven drama - a raw look at mental health, grief, and systemic failure through the lens of a desperate mother. Instead, it derails into sensationalist territory, weighed down by stereotypes and unnecessary racial polarization. It's a shame because the story it almost told - the one rooted in Janiyah's pain, her love, and her quiet resilience - was one worth watching.