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Taraji's acting is superb - as it always is - but this movie seems beneath her. Most of the movie - except for the reveal at the end - felt like one of those Dhar Mann films on Facebook.

The supporting characters were terrible, the plot was unbelievable, and it felt like a cheap attempt at a difficult and nuanced topic. I could not believe the lack of understanding the script had for law enforcement processes.

I have not seen much of Tyler Perry's recent movies, but if this is the level of his films these days, then that is truly disappointing and someone needs to save Taraji from his projects.

I actually really like the story for this movie, more than I thought it would. It was in many ways relatable, and often left me deep in thought about societal ills. For that I give it credit.

The writing is so so. A lot of the dialogue especially was very amateurish and unrealistic. This also made the actors seem worse than they were.

The lead(s) did amazing, absolutely nailed it. A lot of the rest of the cast, especially most if not all of the people portraying police, seemed really poorly acted, however.

That's where I landed on a 6. I think it's a good movie that most people will enjoy, but had too many warts to rate much higher.

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.

Some will not understand or relate. The acting was great. Ms. Henson did what she was asked to do. I applaud her. She played with the knowledge of a true artist. Tyler Perry got the right person for his vision. I've been watching her make the rounds on different talk shows and platforms to promote this movie, but I had no idea I would enjoy it as much as I did. I highly recommend this movie. It is fantastic. I can't wait to see what my family and others think of her performance. Tariji made every dime she's being paid for this one. I've been watching her for a long time, she knows her craft.

Congratulations.

The movie "Straw" by Tyler Perry I just felt compelled to write about and share my thoughts and my heart for advocating in the mental health community; mental health in the Black Community; mental health Awareness. I am someone who lives with Bipolar-my experience living with it has been a challenge still challenging, breaking and being broken. Yes mental health struggles have broken me still break me. I've lived through psychosis, mania, depression and mixed episodes while raising my son as a single mother. I swear Janiyah's heart towards Aria reminded me no matter the broken parts of me I had this little person relying on me. Living with mental illness is an unexplainable brokenness it's a relentless condition to live with. Watching Taraji character "Janiyah" break down mentally from experiencing such a traumatic moment in her already broken life. Those moments were triggering, yes, her moments triggered me just because I lived it I still live it was such a true reflection.

I've been diagnosed with Bipolar since I was 19, living it for 31 years. This movie has struck a core within me it reminded me why I got involved in the mental health field. To save a life by bringing awareness of sharing my close and personal journey with Bipolar and all its impactful possibilities it can have in someone's life. Many of the mentally ill can be so misunderstood just reflecting on the scene when "Janiyah" Taraji's character went through a series of memories towards what caused her psychotic break or the psychosis she experienced; and just in the series of events brought her to that pivotal moment of committing crime(s) or how she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. So many men and women and adolescence end up in jail from these moments of a mental break down or lacking awareness and perhaps others saw the mental state of someone but didn't get involved because our community is taught to turn a blind eye of helping each other even when it's obvious and being witnessed.

Straw just brought up so many thoughts it reminded me of the fire and passion to stay involved and to further help someone like a "Janiyah" from a woman's perspective with a mental health condition and surviving the ugliness of having Bipolar and still surviving. Due to my faith and by God's grace I can go through those broken moments because they still happen but I know my faith is still here and it's been my saving grace. Not to say I live a normal life but truly what's normal these days. I've been able to endure even when nothing makes sense to why am I having these moments, but it wasn't until I learned awareness that's when I decided to fight back. Awareness is what saved my life many people aren't aware of, but it can be the first step to a better life not a cured life but better, to bring hope and healing. Creating a healing community is something I pray about to continue fighting for the mental health of others. I've been blessed to find myself at the center of advocating although I am one person and sometimes, I can't reach everybody but if I can reach one person that brings me joy, and everybody deserve to feel and see God's grace during those broken moments. God may not take it away, but resources and people are in place to help those hurting and who suffer in silence.

Straw was an amazing depiction of mental health and the broken parts no one talks about. I commend Tyler Perry and the cast for the amazing work, and this put mental health at the center of bringing awareness because you never know what the next person is experiencing. Thank you Tyler for bringing mental health to for frontline and mainstream.

If You See Something Say Something.

Blessings to the mental health community we must do better.

Truly, Ayana H.