Tyler Perry’s new dramatic thriller,Straw, premiered on Netflix on July 11, 2025, and instantly became the most-watched movie in the U.S. Despite drawing mediocre reviews,Taraji P. Hensongives an emotionally fraught performance as Janiyah Wiltkinson, a hard-working single mother bruised and battered by a series hard-luck life events that lead to pain, agony, and unspeakable anguish.
As Janiyah forges a warpath against her perceived societal injustices, many viewers have noticed a stark similarity tothe controversial Michael Douglas movieFalling Down. Although the lead characters and their unfortunate circumstances differ, both movies explore a single parent’s psychological breaking point as they reach their final straw, take matters into their own hands, and lash out against society with unremitting violence. The two stories are so similar that it’s worth wondering if Perry madeStrawas a deliberate riff onFalling Down.
What Is ‘Straw’ About?
Filmed in four days,Tyler Perry’s new movie,Straw,concerns a single mother, Janiyah Wiltkinson (Henson), during the worst time of her life. Living in a dilapidated apartment with her terminally ill daughter, Aria (Gabby Jackson), everything that can go wrong for Janiyah does go wrong.She is evicted from her apartment, loses her job, is harassed by police officers, becomes separated from Aria, and other heinous events that leave her reeling in despair.
Fed up and intolerant of her sick and cruel life, constantly delivering one detrimental blow after another, Janiyah takes matters into her own hands after being accused of being involved in a bank robbery. Despite the heartfelt sympathy for Janiyah, largely thanks to Henson’s committed performance,Strawundermines itself with a last-act twist that veers more into the supernatural than the psychological. Even so, the one-person-against-society’s ills formula has been explored before and more effectively by Joel Schumacher in the 1993 Michael Douglas movieFalling Down.
How Does ‘Straw’ Relate to ‘Falling Down’?
Michael Douglas has often referred toFalling Downas his favorite of his own movies.The story follows a man known as D-Fens (Douglas), a military weapons contractor who reaches his final straw while stuck in Los Angeles traffic en route to work one day. Fed up to no end, D-Fens (later revealed to be named Bill Foster) abandons his car in gridlocked traffic and wanders through the city on an increasingly violent warpath.
Similar to Janiyah, Bill wants to reunite with his daughter. As he heads toward his ex-wife’s house, where his daughter lives, Bill encounters what he perceives as one gross societal injustice after another. With each passing societal grievance, viewers slowly begin to lose sympathy for Bill.The reason the movie was so controversial at the time is that it seems as though Bill aligns himself with racist, homophobic viewswhen he meets a hateful pawn shop owner during his citywide sojourn. Although the controversy is warranted, Bill ultimately rejects the shop owner’s sick and twisted ideology once the man crosses the line and begins insulting him.
Still, Bill becomes more dangerous and unstable as he beelines toward his wife and daughter.By the time the movie ends, the transition from antihero to downright villain is reconciled with a remarkable conclusion that’s impossible to forget. WhileStrawalso focuses on a parent reaching their breaking point to reunite with their child,Tyler Perry deliberately flips the scriptto warrant more sympathy for Janiyah, not less, as in Bill’s case.
How Do ‘Falling Down’ and ‘Straw’ Differ?
Beyond increasing sympathy for Janiyah inStrawand decreasing sympathy for Bill inFalling Down, the two movies also differ thematically. While both characters are alienated by society and seen as victims of their unique life circumstances, a late plot twist inStrawreveals the movie’s true intentions. Without spoiling the big twist,Strawbecomes more about the psychological fallout Janiyah experiences following an unspeakable tragedy and the traumatic stress it causes her.
Once the psychological twist is revealed, viewers may feel duped by Perry’s misdirection, but they’re sure to feel more sympathy for Janiyah even when she behaves poorly. There’s no mystery who to root for inStraw, as it’s meant to vindicate Janiyah after being subject to so many unfair injustices. Although the conclusion is no less shocking than inFalling Down, the Michael Douglas moviechallenges viewers' sense of allegiance until the very end.
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In other words,Falling Downis a more subtle and nuanced character study that does not necessarily choose sides. Viewers are with Bill one moment, then repulsed by his actions the next, only to understand his next move, then disagree with him again. He begins as a rootable enough character at the beginning, loses his way, and alienates the audience in the same way society has alienated him, before doubling back again and again. This sense of moral ambiguity is whyFalling Downmerits repeated viewings and why it has endured for over 30 years.
By contrast,Strawleaves no room for nuance or subtlety.Janiyah is bludgeoned by life so hard and so relentlessly that, even when she lashes out violently, the movie remains on her side without wavering and wants the audience to feel for her plight no matter what. Her psychological unraveling leads to the big plot twist, conjuring more sympathy along the way as fans hope for her redemption, if not salvation.
Beyond the big plot twist that reveals Janiyah’s psychological state,StrawandFalling Downsimilarly serve as intriguing character studies that beg the question: how far is one willing to go to right the perceived wrongs in their life?
StreamStrawon Netflix and rentFalling Downon Prime Video or Apple TV.
