Highlights
- They Cloned Tyrone stands out from other Netflix movies with its stellar cast, including John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, and Teyonah Parris, who have incredible chemistry.
- The film is a visual stunner, drawing heavily from Blaxploitation tropes and featuring iconic characters. The soundtrack is incredible, with needle drops from various artists.
- It successfully balances humor and social commentary, satirizing Black stereotypes while addressing institutional racism and Black on Black crime. Although not perfect, it's a daring and unique film worth watching.
I’m as aware as anyone that Netflix doesn’t typically release excellent movies. I’d go so far as to say the majority of straight-to-Netflix movies are mediocre to bad, and I now consider Netflix movies without a theatrical release immediate red flags. During my semi-monthly movie night with friends, we trawl through every streaming service available to us in an attempt to find just one film that looks good. It can be difficult sometimes, especially once you get into the Netflix exclusives.
They Cloned Tyrone, however, caught our eyes immediately. For one, it has a stellar cast of actors as its leads: John Boyega as Fontaine, Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles, and Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo. These three have extraordinary chemistry, playing off each other in a way that makes their trio feel right at home in the story being told. Set in an economically depressed Black neighbourhood in America, the plot revolves around dope dealer Fontaine as he discovers a horrible secret about the place he grew up in, and works with pimp Slick Charles and sex worker Yo-Yo to bring the entire operation to the ground.
Creed 2 writer Juel Taylor’s directorial debut is a visual stunner – drawing heavily from Blaxploitation tropes, every character is aesthetically iconic. The film indulges in gorgeous grain and high-contrast, neon-dripped set dressing, almost reminiscent of Blade Runner 2049 at times. The soundtrack is absolutely incredible, with needle drops from Reggie, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Ski Mask the Slump God, and an excellent re-recording of Tyrone by Erykah Badu. I’m listening to it as I write. It’s bangers all the way down.
They Cloned Tyrone is laugh-out-loud funny, with constant pop culture references and absurd lines that no human in the world would ever say in real life. It toes the line between camp and gritty with surprising grace, simultaneously dishing out jokes while dipping into Blaxpoitation tradition by directly confronting institutional racism and Black on Black crime. It tells a science-fiction story, but satirises Black stereotypes while drawing from themes like Black solidarity alongside real events like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. The tonal contrast never seems too much, always somehow staying on the side of self-conscious, tongue-in-cheek social criticism without coming off as forced or over the top.
I loved They Cloned Tyrone. It’s by no means a perfect film, with a somewhat conventional third act made all the more disappointing by the vibrant, surprising two that preceded it. But it’s rare that Netflix releases are so daring, carefully crafted, and singularly unique. This film is upfront about what it is, and celebratory in how different its voice is. Netflix’s library, because of its constant content churn, often strays into dodgy territory when it comes to its originals – not all of them are instant classics. Not all of them are very watchable, either. It’s a minor tragedy that They Cloned Tyrone only had a limited theatrical release, because I would have loved to see it on the big screen, and that alone sets it apart from the rest of Netflix’s original content. This isn’t your regular ‘play in the background while you do chores’ movie, it’s actually worth your time. Don’t let it slip under the radar.