Warning: Some SPOILERS lie ahead for Straw!
Tyler Perry is inarguably one of the hardest-working directors out there, somewhat to his own detriment; he’s just spread too thin. With Straw, it almost feels like he tried to channel some of the exhaustion and frustration with the world around him through the filter of a struggling single mother, and while there are certainly moments in which it effectively pulls at the heartstrings, it mostly just left me exhausted.
Written and directed by Perry, Straw centers on Taraji P. Henson as Janiyah, a woman who works two jobs to support her and her daughter, Aria, who lives with multiple illnesses. On a day full of unfortunate events for her, including being fired from one of her jobs, threatened with eviction, and her car impounded after a crooked off-duty police officer pit maneuvers her car out of rage, Janiyah finds herself pushed past the brink and landing in the middle of a dangerous situation.
Straw’s Increasingly Downtrodden Story Is More Groan-Worthy Than Effective
I Was So Frustrated By How Forced Everything Felt
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.
One of my biggest issues with the movie’s plot is its ending, which… quickly turns into a cop-out conclusion.
This is all the more evident when Janiyah finds herself on the wrong side of the law, with every subsequent event being a too-obvious attempt to ratchet up the tension. Mostly, it’s just illogical and frustrating. Her apathetic boss immediately blames her for the attempted robbery of the store, despite her stopping the robbery and shooting and killing one of the robbers, while some police turn a blind eye to their crooked counterparts, and a few people try to take a moment to talk or listen to what she’s saying.
One of my biggest issues with the movie’s plot is its ending, which kicks off with a big plot twist that actually left me feeling a little emotional and sympathizing with Janiyah, but quickly turns into a cop-out conclusion. A random vision of cops storming the bank she’s believed to be holding hostage and shooting her down not only feels so out of place compared to the rest of the movie’s tone, but is also immediately undone as she’s calmed down by Sherri Shepherd’s Nicole. It removes all tension for the remaining moments of the film.
Straw Seems So Cheaply Made
The Film Looks Bad
Produced in Georgia, reportedly over just four days, I was really taken aback by just how bad Straw looked. Given it’s a grounded story, it certainly didn’t need any grand camerawork or hyperstylized editing. However, it didn’t feel like Perry and his production team put much effort into the movie’s visual design. The sets all look like real businesses they simply rented out and did nothing different to them, the costumes are all relatively simple, and the sudden rainstorm that occurs halfway through the film certainly feels heavy, but the surrounding skyline and lighting betray it.
Taraji P. Henson Genuinely Deserves An Award For Her Performance Here
Sherri Shepherd Is Also A Great Supporting Player
As frustrated as I was with the majority of the movie’s story and writing, the one thing that truly kept me watching was Taraji P. Henson’s magnificent performance. The Oscar nominee really held nothing back in playing Janiyah, making every misunderstanding and misstep feel all the more painful for us to watch. In particular, her big monologue that comes a little past the film’s halfway point, in which she lays out everything that has happened to her, is so effectively done that it makes me disappointed the rest of the movie doesn’t live up to her greatness.
While I have mixed opinions on the rest of Straw‘s cast, Henson’s excellent work is also supported by a strong turn from Sherri Shepherd as Nicole, the bank manager. She does a meaningful job of finding the sympathetic heart of the character amidst her fears of being caught in an apparent hostage situation, allowing us to further connect with Janiyah as we root for her to finally get a win in her life.
Straw is now streaming on Netflix.
