Taraji P. Henson Again Saves Mediocre Tyler Perry Writing in ‘Straw’
I have a confession to make - I am the biggest Tyler Perry critic I know.
Over the years, I’ve had more negative commentary about him than I have positive. Do I know him as a person? Absolutely not. Was I his biggest fan when he launched his comical play productions? You better believe it. Do I think he means well with his efforts in Hollywood? I do. Do I love the way he creates opportunities for Black talent? Yes, indeed.
Do I think Tyler Perry is a good writer? No.
If you’re still reading, please acknowledge with me that multiple things can be true simultaneously. While I can’t stomach Tyler Perry sitcoms, I’ve given every single movie he’s produced a chance and for multiple reasons. First, he always includes Black faces and talents I support: Taraji P. Henson, Kelly Rowland, Jill Scott – just to name a few. Secondly, I am always on the quest for representation on my television. Black adventures, Black experiences, Black risks and rewards, Black triumphs are all worthy narratives to be told and to be explored.
When I saw so many of my Black peers celebrating Perry’s latest production Straw, I implored every version of myself to engage in the Netflix release with an open mind. I spoke with the journalist deep within my soul and made another vow to be both fair and objective in my assessment of the TP Production. Henson is one of my favorite actresses in this world. I adore Teyana Taylor and her voracity as both a performer and personality. The legendary Sinbad has had a special place in my heart ever since he looked out for the college kids in the dorms of Hillman College.
As I scrolled social media last week – I was presented with more and more reasons to engage in this film. So, I watched the one hour and 48-minute production without distraction.
I hated it. The writing was not good. The development of the plot was choppy. Efforts to transition were simply detestable. It would take a payment of some sort for me to watch it again. This has become my consistent observation of TP films. The writing is rushed, corners are cut, and the production was deemed complete in record time (four days) for what appears to be the sake of just trying to put out more and more work.
Allow me to say this again: more than one thing can be true. Taraji P. Henson made this film relevant. Should she receive nomination for an Academy Award for her performance in salvaging this film – I would not object. Teyana Taylor brought respect to the pedestrian-like written character that was presented to her.
Someone is reading right now and assuming that I just can’t relate because they conclude: she’s not a struggling single mother; she’s not suffering mentally; she doesn’t know what it’s like to be poor; she doesn’t understand living in chaos.
No, I don’t have children. No, I don’t know what it’s like to be poor – (but I also don’t know what it’s like to live comfortably in this America without having to work). No, I don’t live in chaos. But most importantly – I don’t need to see myself in a character nor a narrative to appreciate good writing and great storytelling. That’s not the type of relatability I seek when engaging in a film.
No two Black women in this world are alike and no one will be able to convince me otherwise. When films like Straw are celebrated, I respect that, however, I resent the undertone that films such as Straw provide a means of sharing the Plight of the Black Woman.
My fear is that Perry has ushered in an acceptance of predictability and urgency in his films that make Black viewers less demanding of quality. It feels good to see Henson, Taylor and Sherri Shepard on the screen. Perry knows that it feels good to see the Black talent we love on the screen, and he takes full advantage of this as he shorts us with his writing.
In a recent interview – Perry responded to the criticism that he only shares stories of struggle for Black women. He insisted that he is paying homage to his mother, his aunt, his sisters. Understood. Beautiful. Respectable.
There are unnecessary movies produced every single day by white billionaires and the bleak commentary of such is far and few, so I was hesitant to share my opinions about a Black producer providing work for Black actors. Hopefully, this time you can see my efforts to not rake him over completely.
In this America, we will never have as many Black producers as there are “other” producers – so I guess I just want us to put our best of the best on display. We don’t just need opportunities to work and say, “look what we did.” We deserve to be stellar in our very essence; effective in our speech; efficient in presenting our objectives and themes. And we need opportunities to be as diverse as we are in our storytelling. Being a Black woman is incredibly hard, but there are variations of “hard” that have nothing to do with mistreatment from men, motherhood and being poor.
Mr. Perry is a billionaire. Clearly, he knows how to make money and how to spread it around. I can’t hate him for that. Straw was not well written and should not be ranked amongst the best productions in 2025.