STRAW

Name: STRAW
Item: STRAW
Author: Review

"A Mom Reaches Her Breaking Point"

Family Content: -3 Excessive sex, violence, immorality, and/or worldview problems. (Sometimes excessive content such as violence is in otherwise redemptive movies.)

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

STRAW is a crime thriller streaming on Netflix that follows the story of Janiyah; a woman brought to her breaking point after a series of terrible events. These include losing her daughter to social services, getting evicted, getting fired, and having her car impounded. Eventually, she ends up in a bank and, after one final bad event, accidentally initiates a bank robbery. Through the ensuing standoff with the police, her sole focus is on finding a way out of the situation that allows her to care for her daughter best.

The movie places a strong emphasis on biblical values, and Janiyah embodies the command “love your neighbor” by caring for those around her despite not being well-off herself. The movie further emphasizes the importance of family and a parent’s duty to care for their children at all costs. However, the STRAW features a light, politically correct worldview as multiple characters discuss how America systematically bars black people from getting ahead. At the same time, the movie also includes extremely strong foul language, including 36 instances of the “f” word, so Movieguide® advises extreme caution for older teens and adults.

Content:

(BB, C, LLL, VV, PC, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Strong Biblical elements as a single mom, Janiyah, is shown fighting with all that is in her to care for her young daughter. This includes working two jobs and living in extreme poverty to pay for her medicine. The movie also promotes charity and generosity as Janiyah is shown giving money to a homeless person despite having very little themselves. Furthermore, the movie promotes loving your neighbor as Janiyah’s character is lauded by those she is close to. The movie also features a Gospel song that discusses how a mom prays for her kids every morning as she starts her day. However, the movie also features a light politically correct worldview as multiple characters discuss how black people in America are systematically barred from getting ahead;

Foul Language:

Very strong foul language totaling to 106 obscenities and 6 profanities (including 36 instances of the “f” word, 5 instances of the “b” word, 25 “sh” words, 16 “da” words 14 “a” words, and 10 “h” words);

Violence:

Infrequent but intense bloody violence that include two people shown getting shot at different points in the movie, several people die onscreen; there is a bomb threat and people are held at gunpoint,

Sex:

No sex;

Nudity:

No nudity;

Alcohol Use:

No alcohol use;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

None; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Light miscellaneous immorality as Janiyah accidentally robs a bank and keeps things in control through lies, threats and coercion.

More Detail:

Tyler Perry’s STRAW is a crime thriller streaming on Netflix that follows the story of Janiyah, a single mom who reaches her breaking point after a series of terrible events. To end her day, she enters a bank and, when she is unable to cash a check, pulls a gun while asking the teller to help her out. In doing so, she accidentally begins a robbery, causing her to face off with the police for the rest of the day and into the night as she tries to figure out how to untangle the mess while still being able to care for her daughter.

STRAW is a compelling movie, even if the number of unfortunate events that happen to Janiyah in one day is unrealistic. The overall quality is good, and the acting is well done, as expected from a Tyler Perry production. The movie places a strong emphasis on biblical values as Janiyah embodies the command to “love your neighbor” by treating those around her well and even providing spare change to a homeless man despite living in extreme poverty.

Furthermore, the movie places a strong emphasis on the importance of family and how a parent must prioritize their children’s well-being at all costs. However, the movie features a light, politically correct worldview as multiple characters discuss how America systematically bars black people from getting ahead. It also contains extremely strong foul language, with 106 total obscenities, along with infrequent but strong violence, so Movieguide® advises extreme caution for older teens and adults.

The movie begins at the start of Janiyah’s day, as she wakes up and prepares her daughter for school. As they leave their apartment, Janiyah’s landlord yells at her for being behind on rent and tells her that he’ll evict her if she doesn’t pay her debts by the end of the day. This event marks the beginning of a series of unfortunate events that pervade Janiyah’s day, leaving her the prime suspect of a bank robbery and carrying her down a path she never intended to take.