Straw Review: Taraji P. Henson Elevates Tyler Perry’s Melodramatic But Tense Thriller
All Taraji P. Henson’s Janiyah wanted in Straw is to cash her check. But the particular day isn’t doing her any favour. Right from the get-go, nothing is going as planned for Janiyah, a single mother living in a decrepit apartment with her ill-stricken young daughter, Aria (Gabby Jackson). Her landlord has been chasing her for overdue rent. She can barely pay for her daughter’s lunch, which is one reason she needs the check badly from her boss (Glynn Turman). She works in a supermarket as a cashier and is supposed to receive her check by today.
That check can at least cover her rent and her daughter’s lunch money. But she’s been accused by her boss of being sloppy and irresponsible for not taking her job seriously. When she receives an urgent call that requires her to come to the school regarding her daughter immediately, she begs her boss to let her off for a while.
What follows next becomes a series of worst-case scenarios: the Child Protective Services takes her daughter away because Janiyah is being deemed unfit to take care of her; she encounters a road bully and the situation ends up with her car impounded and not to mention, getting a ticket; all her belongings are tossed out of her home because her landlord had enough of her excuses; and finally, she gets fired after abandoned her post for too long.
She still wants her check, and as if her situation isn’t bad enough, a pair of thieves is trying to rob the office at the back of the supermarket. The whole stretch of Janiyah having the worst day of her already-miserable life, juggling between two jobs while hardly making ends meet, is executed in a harsh, matter-of-fact fashion.
Tyler Perry, who pulls off triple duties including directing, writing and producing the movie, does an overall good job addressing Janiyah’s dire situation. It also helps that he brings out the best in Taraji P. Henson, who elevates her role as a struggling mother. It’s hard not to sympathise and root for her predicament, even though she tends to overact every now and then. And yet, her engaging performances keep me watching to see whether she manages to take care of her problems as the movie progresses.
Then, Perry raises the stakes higher by placing her in an unlikely situation: a somewhat Dog Day Afternoon-like hostage drama after the bank teller, Tessa (Ashley Versher), insists she can’t cash Janiyah’s check without an ID. The next thing you know, Janiyah has lost her patience, causing her to point a gun at Tessa that she took from the robber earlier.
Panic ensues, but Nicole (Sherri Shepherd), the branch manager who has known Janiyah since she’s been regularly coming to the bank, tries to calm her down. The police soon gather outside the bank with Detective Raymond (Teyana Taylor) strongly believing that Janiyah isn’t a violent criminal being accused of the armed robbery at the supermarket, but rather a victim of circumstances.
The second half is devoted entirely to the hostage situation, going back and forth between Janiyah and the police. I admit the story is prone to the melodramatic route in places, and the pacing starts to become erratic, with the movie’s 105-minute running time could have used some trimmings. Perry’s writing can be overwhelming as he tries to shove a lot of things at once, depicting not only Janiyah’s plight but also incorporating other themes from implied racism to police brutality, and at one point, a certain subject matter serves as a surprising turn of events.
While Henson steals the show here in Straw, Perry doesn’t forget to leave ample room for the supporting actors to shine in their respective roles. This includes Sherri Shepherd, who delivers strong support as the compassionate branch manager of the bank, while Teyana Taylor equally excels as the police detective who wants to end the hostage situation in peace.
Straw is currently streaming on Netflix.
