5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

(ATLANTA – July 20, 2025) – Since Roots, we haven’t witnessed such flawless casting in an American film—until Straw. Tyler Perry’s 2025 drama delivers a masterclass in character-driven storytelling, led by the incomparable Taraji P. Henson.

Henson’s portrayal of Janiyah Watkinson is nothing short of perfection. She is the emotional anchor of the film—grounded, powerful, and unnervingly real. Her performance leaves viewers deep in discussion, grappling with questions the film leaves deliberately unresolved. Chief among them: Is Aria, Janiyah’s daughter, actually alive? Or is she a figment of Janiyah’s troubled mind? The ambiguity surrounding Aria’s presence elevates Straw beyond typical moviegoing fare—it becomes a conversation.

The film’s structure is poetic. The final scene mirrors the opening, both featuring Janiyah and Aria in bed. This cyclical storytelling, reminiscent of Tupac’s approach to narrative symmetry, keeps the focus razor-sharp and the audience engaged.

Every performance in Straw holds weight. Sherri Shepherd, playing Nicole Parker, the poised and complex bank manager, delivers a career-defining performance. Her scenes aren’t flashy, but they carry immense dramatic weight and intrigue. I often catch Shepherd on her talk show, “Sherri,” yet I didn’t even recognize her until the end of her arc. That’s how deeply she disappeared into this role.

Teyana Taylor as Detective Kay Raymond is another standout. In one of the film’s most surprising and entertaining scenes, she lands a clean left hook on a fellow officer who had harassed Janiyah earlier—both cathartic and unforgettable. Taylor’s commanding presence proves Straw is not playing around.

Critics may claim Tyler Perry’s films tend to follow a familiar formula, but Straw breaks the mold. This is no comedy. It’s a tightly woven psychological drama—free from sex scenes, overused gunplay, gratuitous violence, or flashy car chases. Perry strips it down to raw emotion, taut dialogue, and deeply human performances.

And the cast? Untouchable.

Henson. Shepherd. Taylor. Every actor was perfectly selected. It’s rare to see such cohesion and excellence in a single ensemble. I hadn’t seen “Detective Raymond” since Teyana’s 2018 collaboration with Ghostface Killah sampling The Delfonics’ 1968 classic “For the Love I Give to You,” but she’s come back swinging—literally.

Straw deserves every major award and accolade coming its way. It’s already the best film of 2025 in my eyes. A triumph in storytelling, casting, and restraint.

This one’s a masterpiece.
STR⭐️W = STARS.