Where I Watched It: Netflix

English Audio Description provided By: International Digital Center

Written by: Liz gutman

Narrated By Sri Gordon

Every once in a while, netflix has an exclusive title worth watching. I know this had the unfortunate timing of dropping the same weekend of Barbenheimer but this is one of those rare Netflix films that makes your subscription worth it. If your monthly rate is that of a ticket price, Netflix just validated July. I will not say it is perfect, but for people who claim Hollywood isn’t making anything original anymore, They Cloned Tyrone feels like it has a unique voice and style that permeates beyond whatever home theatre setup you have.

Without spoiling the plot, I’ll say that this cast is majority black, and centers around black culture. Already, I lost someone who is off to tweet about wokeness. Heaven forbid we have films with primarily black actors. We are introduced early on to our three leads, who seem to be following overused black stereotypes. The drug dealer (John Boyega), The pimp (Jamie Foxx), and the hoe (Tiana Paris). When the movie gets going, you will come to appreciate why these archetypes are so integral to the framework of the film.

After the three of them have an interaction, we have another black stereotype played out in that one of the leads is gunned down in some kind of presumed gang hit. Dead. Clearly dead. Then, he wakes up the next morning, and thats when your realize, you are not in South Central anymore. I’ll admit, the only real problem I had with the film is that it takes a minute to get going. It has to establish the film as the most typical black film, all so we can get to this point. Then, this is where the vision starts to bleed in, and the director clearly has something creative and important to say, and i love that when directors make that kind of statement. It’s why Justin Simian is still around now directing things like The haunted mansion, because his breakthrough Dear White People pushed back on what a typical black film should be. This also has some serious comparisons to Boots Riley’s Sorry To Bother you.

The performances from Foxx and Paris are terrific. Foxx has never been this energetic, and considering his last handful of films, this is a return to form for him. his last couple Netflix projects have been terrible, so it’s nice to see him in such a hilarious and scene stealing performance. Paris, who caught my eye in WandaVision, also really steals the show, as the one everyone counted out. Boyega’s role has received praise from other critics, as the emotional core, but it’s so hard for him to stand out when Foxx and Paris are firing on all cylinders. It’s not a bad performance, it’s just a thankless one.

Also in the cast, and used to great effect, is Kiefer Sutherland. When he drops in the film, he’s like throwing a wet cat at someone. you know shit is about to go down, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. His supporting performance here is more impressive than his season long arc on Rabbit Hole.

The audio description by Gutman is very aware of the specific stylings of the film, as we live in current times, but the film feels so much like a throwback, with everyone dressing like they are from a Time Capsule, with rides that also reflect their income level. Gordon’s voice actually took me off guard, as I’ve heard her a thousand times, but this was one where I really felt like she was getting into the project she was narrating. I’d guess she enjoyed the project herself, and even subconsciously, I’m sure it helps to enjoy the project you are narrating.

The first chunk of this film had me a little bored to tears. i went in without knowing anything about the project, and while I understand the need to make this feel like a run of the mill black comedy, when you are a Netflix original, the risk there is that people are so used to seeing garbage that they could turn off the film because it feels too generic. I mean, how many films is Netflix going to make where they send some girl to Europe for some bullshit reason, just to turn that into a romcom. Netflix loves formula, but I’m happy to say that if you stick with They Cloned Tyrone, it throws that formula out the door.

Final Grade: B+