Written by: Tony Rettenmaier & Juel Taylor
Starring: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx, Kiefer Sutherland, David Alan Grier
Rating: [3.5/5]
Taking a quick look through any conspiracy page will lead someone down the inevitable rabbit hole of those who believe governments control others through methods of placation. The people receive some things they like and they stand idle while terrible things happen right before them. This belief stretches from the believable to the outlandish as one can imagine, but They Cloned Tyrone takes this conspiracy brain to another level further elevated by some hilariously fun performances by its cast.
In the suburban neighborhood the Glen, drug dealer Fontaine (John Boyega) runs his operation and seeks to collect some cash from a local pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx) but gets gunned down by a rival drug dealer. Appearing to Slick Charles once again, Fontaine learns that he has been cloned as part of a larger operation expanding far beyond anything he could have ever imagined.
They Cloned Tyrone enters the fray as quite the shot in the arm in bringing this blast of energy in this style of storytelling paired with what it seeks to communicate about government experimentation on Black people. What begins as something we have seen before in regard to how Black people get portrayed in media with Fontaine the drug dealer, Slick Charles the pimp, and then Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris), the sex worker. Each of these characters represent a blatant stereotype and as the film continues to dig in on the intentional purposes of what these characters represent to the larger narrative it becomes this equally impressive and hilarious effort by the team involved here.
As the title of the feature implies, some science fiction makes its way into the story where Fontaine gets cloned and these three go on this journey to try to find out why and they begin to uncover something much larger and how it impacts everyone in their community. These roots lie not only in the technological but also the sociological in the way Black individuals have typically been policed in this nation and often times get the wrong end of the stick when it comes to interventions by the government. This film manages to intertwine everything together to allow the more serious moments balance out well as compared to the ones that are frankly hilarious, which mostly comes from the boisterous performance by Jamie Foxx.
When this man can get on a roll in a comedic performance, you get reminded of the endless talent he possesses. As Slick Charles he enters this story with such a prototypical look of a Black pimp of the 1970s and he certainly saunters around as such throughout this film. Pretty much every single line delivery he puts forth in this film represents liquid gold because he goes all in with the ridiculousness of this character. The moments where he reacts to all the crazy revelations in the film are hilarious and soaks it all up. Having him paired up with Teyonah Parris makes them such a dynamic duo. Parris steps in as the unexpected hero of the story, which typically does not exist for the sex worker character in films. Usually they get subjugated to being the victim to further motivate the men around them but Parris takes this role and chews it up by driving the comedy right along with Foxx as they both serve as the comedic supports to John Boyega who has to play the more serious role amidst this narrative.
Having received many plaudits and positive buzz, the word of mouth allowed me to find this hilarious gem on Netflix. What Juel Taylor put together deserved so much praise for the way it takes the outlandish stereotypes ascribed to Black people that typically get weaponized and completely turning it on its head in addition to crafting an intriguing science-fiction potline that further adds to what makes this such an entertaining viewing experience. We get three lead performers who are putting in some fantastic work in playing up their assigned stereotypes but also displaying the necessary humanity of how these characters would react to this horrific situation they have found themselves in. Equally thought-provoking as it is hilarious, They Cloned Tyrone proves to be quite the winner in my books and certainly something many could flip on and enjoy.
Films with Josh 
