STRAW has now debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score, and viewers seem to be liking the new thriller. Featuring Perry as writer, director, and producer, the new Netflix film stars Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah, a single mother with a chronically ill daughter who, after a series of unfortunate events, finds herself on the wrong side of the law. In addition to Henson, the Straw cast also includes Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Sinbad, Ashley Versher, and Rockmond Dunbar, among others.

Following the film’s release on June 6, Rotten Tomatoes reveals that Straw has started strong with an 81% Popcornmeter score from over 100 audience ratings. Though this score could fluctuate as more reviews are added, the film is off to an impressive start. No critics’ score has taken shape just yet, but one will likely appear as more reviews emerge online.

What This Means For Straw

How It Compares To Recent Tyler Perry Movies

Perry is one of the most successful creators in Hollywood, and he’s built up a pᴀssionate audience following over the past two decades. Straw marks Perry’s follow-up to Tyler Perry’s Duplicity (2025), and the new film is already faring far better than its predecessor. Duplicity has only a 25% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes, clearly indicating a lack of acceptance from viewers. As seen in the chart below, Straw is also faring better than The Six Triple Eight (2024), and it features the highest audience score out of Perry’s last five movies.

Though there’s no critics’ score for Straw, things are looking mixed so far. From the eight reviews available on Rotten Tomatoes, five are fresh and three are rotten. In his Straw review for ScreenRant, Grant Hermanns awards the film a lackluster four out of 10. Though he praises Henson for her strong leading performance, he criticizes the film for looking cheaply made and for featuring a story that is often frustrating and unbelievable. Read an excerpt from his review below:

Stories of characters snapping after one bad day do admittedly need a sense of urgency or a catalyst to effectively convey the motivations behind a protagonist going on a rampage, of sorts, but Straw‘s setup is too forced to the point of being predictable. From Janiyah’s trip to her daughter’s school resulting in an unfortunate appearance by Child Protective Services, to the threat of eviction coming true, and her boss showing nothing but apathy for his employees, it feels like everyone’s out to get her.

Our Take On Straw’s Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Perry’s Work Continues To Appeal To Audiences

Many of Perry’s movies do not fare well with critics. From the scripts to the character work to the themes, these films just often struggle to make much of a mark for the critical community. It’s with audiences, however, that Perry has built such a successful career, and his continued success as a creator speaks to just how much viewer demand there is for material that has his name on it. Straw may end up with a mixed response from critics, but audiences are evidently connecting with Janiyah’s story and its tragedy.

Though Straw won’t end up being as big of a hit as Perry’s Madea movies, the Popcornmeter score suggests it could end up being a modest viewership win. Even if it’s not a mega hit, the film seemingly features a low enough budget that the bar for success could be relatively low. It remains to be seen how Straw‘s Rotten Tomatoes score will evolve over the next few weeks, but Perry’s run as a writer, director, and producer is evidently far from over.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes