The Hub Entertainment Watch List: They Cloned Tyrone
What happens when a pimp, sex worker and drug dealer team up to solve a mystery? You get the recently released film, They Cloned Tyrone. The movie led by actors John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx was released in June 2023 and is the creation of Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier.
They Cloned Tyrone is a mystery fantasy film that tackles life problems faced by communities of color. The film gets off to a slow start but introduces the audience to the life of Fontaine (Boyega), Slick Charles (Foxx) and Yo-Yo (Parris). Fontaine is a local drug dealer while Slick Charles is a pimp with multiple women including the strong-willed Yo-Yo. After a fatal night connects the trio, they embark down a rabbit hole that none of them would have expected. They are thrust into the role of modern-day urban heroes after coming across an underground secret facility experimenting on people of color.
While the film is rooted in “conspiracy theory” concepts, it still manages to touch on fundamental issues. From highlighting the stores and food typically available in underserved communities to showing the state of the Black church and negative imagery targeted at Black beauty, They Cloned Tyrone, hit all the marks. Even the selected outfits for the characters have a meaning behind them, according to the movie’s veteran costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck. Fontaine’s bland sense of style matched with the flamboyance of Slick and the boldness of Yo-Yo all serve a purpose of reinforcing the personalities of the characters.
On the surface, the movie is full of tropes and stereotypes but beneath the surface, it tells a story of trauma in the Black community and serves as a wake-up call to the programming that seems to be setting in to the collective. Despite having an underlying tone of gloom due to the environment of Glen, the movie’s fictional neighborhood, there is comedic relief dispersed throughout. Viewers are likely to let out laughs during the two-hour film, but there will also be moments that leave the viewer challenging their own thoughts and beliefs.
Those interested in watching They Cloned Tyrone can check it out on Netflix.
