‘Raw' thriller with unbelievable twist shoots to the top of Netflix chart
Written, directed and produced by Alex Cross star Tyler Perry, Straw follows a single mother who becomes embroiled in a sequence of terrible and violent events as she struggles to care for her ill daughter.
Oscar-nominee Taraji P Henson leads the cast alongside Teyana Taylor, Jingle All the Way actor Sinbad, and Precious actress Sherri Shepherd.
The movie was added to the streaming platform on June 6 and it didn't take long for fans to watch it in their droves – as it has dominated the global charts.
Straw currently commands the top spot with more than 25.3m views in the last seven days, and over 45.5m hours watched.
Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you.
It beat out stiff competition from the Now You See Me franchise, the Bee Movie, M3GAN and Nonnas for the top slot.
Wrath of the Titans, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish and the Wild Robot also make up the list.
Emerging to strong word of mouth from audiences, the film has been described as one of Tyler's best films to date – admittedly, this mixed-bag of a catalogue does include his Madea and Mrs Brown's Boys crossover.
Viewers were particularly vocal about the 'heartbreaking' ending – which featured a twist to the tale which will ensure it won't be forgotten in a hurry.
After watching, fans took to social media to share their thoughts on what they had just witnessed.
'Straw is such a humbling movie. The rawness was so real and the plot twist was crazy,' she_mego wrote on X.
'What a walk through emotions @tylerperry's Straw. The plot twist at the end wallowed me up. A good watch indeed!' sandra_buma agreed.
'After watching Straw, I no longer know how my heart is feeling. When what gave you purpose is suddenly gone. It speaks to a pain that's hard to name. Raw, emotional, and deeply human. Kudos to the writer… truly outdone,' david_harris_r said.
'Tyler Perrys Straw absolutely incredible I literally cried blown away! [sic]'MelisaWhiskey added.
Critics also heaped praise on Taraji, with Screen Rant describing her performance as 'an acting masterclass.'
'Straw has a cultural pulse-taking urgency that lifts it above [Tyler Perry's] usual run of comedies and melodramatic potboilers, flawed as it is,' Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote.
Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly described the film's emotions as 'so raw and the performances are so earnest that you've really got to have a heart of stone not to care for these people.'
Award-winning Taraji previously starred in hit movies The Color Purple and Hidden Figures, as well as iconic series Empire.
Her performance in the film comes two years after she spoke out on the issue of inequality in pay for Hollywood's women of colour.
'I'm just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost,' she told Gayle King on SiriusXM Radio.
'I'm tired of hearing my sisters saying the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, 'You work a lot.' I have to – the math ain't mathing.
'And when you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don't do this alone. The fact that we're up here, there's a whole entire team behind us. They have to get paid.
'When you hear people saying, 'Oh, such and such made $10m.' That didn't make it to their account. Know that off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50%. Do the math.
'Now we have $5m – your team is getting 30% off of what you gross, not after what Uncle Sam took. Now do the math.'
As the interview went viral, fans and peers in the acting community shared messages of support.
'Not a damn lie told. Not. A. Damn. Lie. We go TO BAT for the next generation and hell even our own generation and above,' Gabrielle Union cheered in response.
'We don't hesitate to be the change that we all need to see AND it takes a toll on your mind, health, soul, and career if we're keepn it [100]. [Love] u @tarajiphenson. [sic]' More Trending
'We feel you, @tarajiphenson and we love you. It's a fight we ALL are waging,' Community star Yvette Nicole Brown agreed.
'For ourselves and for the ones coming up after us. This mess sucks!'
This article was first published on June 8.
Straw is now streaming on Netflix.
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: Netflix fans threaten to cancel subscriptions over 'worst update possible'
MORE: All six episodes of 'stressful' Australian thriller finally free to binge in the UK
MORE: Cast of series getting Netflix reboot admit one episode 'wouldn't happen today'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
a few seconds ago
- Daily Mirror
'Moving' period drama making fans 'sob' now streaming for free
The period drama is available to stream for free Netflix fans can stream a "moving" period drama that is making fans "sob". All The Light We Cannot See is a limited series that was released back in 2023. It follows the story of a blind teenager, Marie-Laure, and her father, Daniel LeBlanc, who flee German-occupied Paris with a legendary diamond to keep it from falling into the hands of the Nazis. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr, fans see Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure and Avengers star Mark Ruffalo as Daniel LeBlanc. Viewers may also recognise Hugh Laurie as Uncle Etienne, Louis Hofmann as Werner, Lars Eidinger as Von Rumpel, and Marion Bailey as Madame Manec. Netflix teases: "Relentlessly pursued by a cruel Gestapo officer who seeks to possess the stone for his own selfish means, Marie-Laure and Daniel soon find refuge in St. Malo, where they take up residence with a reclusive uncle who transmits clandestine radio broadcasts as part of the resistance. "Yet here in this once-idyllic seaside city, Marie-Laure's path also collides inexorably with the unlikeliest of kindred spirits: Werner, a brilliant teenager enlisted by Hitler's regime to track down illegal broadcasts, who instead shares a secret connection to Marie-Laure as well as her faith in humanity and the possibility of hope." Aria Mia Loberti herself is legally blind and has previously opened up on the importance of her role. Since its release in 2023, the four part series is available to stream on Netflix as fans have commented on its high emotion. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, one fan said: "Even after all the war she's been through she's still standing . . this made me sob like a child deep inside my soul, just wow it's perfection." Another wrote: "One of the most amazing war related TV shows out there. I wish more people knew of it. It has a beautiful, moving storyline, wonderful actors portraying strong and thoughtful characters. "The atmosphere of war, the dressing, the music set the right mood for the viewer to enjoy. And it's got deep messages, love, care, light in it. I highly recommend." A fourth replied: "Moving storylines, underlying statements about class, intelligence, and education. Excellent sets. A series with all the emotions." Another said: "We loved this series. There have been a million WW2 movies and series but they came from a perspective I have never seen before. Only thing I didn't like was it was only 4 episodes."
Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Kristen Bell says husband Dax Shepard was 'screaming' over her steamy on-screen kiss with Adam Brody
Kristen Bell said her husband, Dax Shepard, couldn't get enough of her on-screen kiss with Adam Brody — and even celebrated it with his friends. While speaking at the inaugural Televerse event in Los Angeles on Friday, the actress, 45, revealed that her spouse, 50, was on an off-roading trip when Netflix dropped season one of her hit series Nobody Wants This. Even miles away, he still found a way to show his support by sending her a voice memo. Over background music from the scene — and 'screaming' of 'Oh my god!' — Bell said she got to hear Shepard and his buddies cheering as her character, Joanne, finally locked lips with Noah (Brody). Looking back on it, the mom-of-two said his excitement 'says a lot' about how invested he was in the fictional couple's romance. In the scene, Noah and Joanne are talking on the street when he tells her to put down her ice cream and bag so he can kiss her. Both Brody and Bell revealed that the script described it as 'the world's greatest kiss,' which only raised the stakes and their nerves. Bell joked that the scene came with 'max pressure' and that she and Brody were determined to do it justice. 'In the [first kiss] moment, it is meant to give the audience the passion of these two people and their comfort together, because comfort can be incredibly passionate,' Bell explained. 'It's a deep, beautiful emotion, and we don't associate it with kissing very much.' After each take, she recalls running over to Foster and asking: 'Was it cute? Was it hot? Did you like it?' When asked why she scripted it as 'the world's greatest kiss' without any further instructions, Foster admitted that she gets self conscious writing 'sexy moments' and using 'romance novel lingo.' 'I don't know how to say, he sweeps his hands in her hair and she locks eyes... that just weirds me out!' she confessed. 'I think that was more laziness on my part. But there was definitely some strategy behind the kiss.' She went on to say that the kiss was designed to anchor the story. 'I think that sometimes as women, there's sort of a universal language that we all know with each other. We have a responsibility when we're creating something that we are telling the narrative of romance to young women,' she told the audience. 'And a lot of it is, have you know their habits that you sort of don't want to emulate, and the idea of showing women a healthy relationship.' She continued: 'Sometimes as a woman, we want men to talk to us like we're a little delicate and strong, and to support us.' As the series prepares to return for season two, she explained that Joanne and Noah's relationship will move into more mature territory, facing questions about family and cohabitation. 'Joanne and Noah are now at a place in their relationship for season two where they're asking each other different questions,' Foster shared. 'Everyone's been in the first couple months of a relationship, and everyone's past the threshold where you ask if you and your partner are going to dinner with each other's families or if you are going to cohabitate with one another. There's all of these teeny, tiny things that link you closer to someone else.' Jackie Tohn, who plays Esther — married to Noah's older brother Sasha (Timothy Simons) — also teased that her character is realizing she wants to embrace joy like Joanne and Noah instead of creating 'self-imposed bad times.' The show, created by Foster, follows Joanne, an agnostic podcast host, and Noah, an unconventional rabbi, as they navigate love and faith. Their first kiss, which went viral, resonated with viewers for blending passion and comfort — a balance Bell and Foster both say is at the heart of the series. Nobody Wants This returns for season two on October 23, 2025.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Oscar-nominated actor Terence Stamp dies aged 87
British actor Terence Stamp, a stalwart of cinema known for his extensive career, died on Sunday morning at the age of 87. He was an Oscar -nominated actor for his debut film Billy Budd and became a prominent face of Sixties cinema, starring in classics such as Far from the Madding Crowd. Stamp's career saw a significant revival when he portrayed the iconic supervillain General Zod in the Superman films, delivering the memorable command "Kneel before Zod!". His diverse filmography included notable roles in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The Limey, and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Born in London's East End, Stamp leaves behind an extraordinary body of work that continues to touch and inspire audiences.
