In simplest terms, “They Cloned Tyrone” is definitely a welcome surprise. Dare I say, it’s a hidden gem this year.
As a concept on paper and in practice, it reminds me a lot of Unseen in a way in which the voice behind it is righteously angry but has enough self-control to mask and weaponize it into a story that, while it might bend under the weight of its ideas, never breaks. Just think on it: the entire story is centered around unsettled identities, forced assimilation and the systematic oppression of marginalized and exploited classes and all of it being bottled up and stuffed in a self-contained environment takes the best elements from Get Out, Cabin In The Woods, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and Groundhog Day while molding it into both a celebration and deconstruction of the Blaxploitation genre….in the goofiest way possible.
Leaning heavily into many tropes and myths within the black community to relay a story about drugs in the community, how the community could be controlled, the roles of specific characters within said community and how it can oppress itself amongst other things, it makes for a harrowing but also hilarious rabbit hole of conspiracies and the film benefits from being ripe with world-building every passing minute; constantly playing into not just the fears of a community who has every reason to be hostile towards the powers that be….but also expands beyond implausibility, settling on some uncomfortable truths on urban conditions while mocking how easily exploitable we can be.
It wants you to laugh at the absurdity of it all but it also implores you to think about WHAT EXACTLY you’re laughing at considering the subject matter; despite the sophisticated satirical edge to it.
Putting aside the notion of how well Juel Taylor cleverly uses nods to classic cultural milestones to anchor down the duel nature of the ostentatious 70’s and alternate present day, the mishmash of genres doesn’t conflict at all with the tone of said story and Taylor’s direction has strong command over the heightening characterizations of lower to middle class civilians and a murkiness to its vibrant personality.
While not fearlessly informed or stylish from a technical standpoint, the grainy lensing and surrealist framing of each scene gives the camerawork and editing an otherworldly quality, lighting adds a sense of rawness and enhancement to the immersion, we have a perfect blending of 70’s gruffness and 80’s synth-like eerieness with the musical score and the retro, era-bending that bolsters the production design help evoke the look of an era gone by while firmly constructing and anchoring simplistic yet ambitious set pieces alongside an atmosphere that bleeds ; it essentially sets up the entire neighborhood as a character within its own right.
Let’s not forget the trio of John Boyega, Teyonah Paris and Jamie Foxx, seamlessly balancing each other out with emotional heft, and/or comedic chaos, further buoyed by dialogue that flows naturally between them and other performers.
Sounds like a done deal, right? Well….like I mentioned earlier, it has a lot of ideas that it wants to explore and utilize similar to Barbie but just like Barbie, the runtime doesn’t give Juel and co-writer Tony Rettenmaier enough time to expand upon them or fully flesh them out; that becomes clear as day when we get to the final act. A perfectly fine conclusion all things considered but feels more standard to what came before.
There’s also the main antagonist himself, who’s almost deliberately cartoonish and undercooked, sticking out like a sore thumb and dragging the momentum down a little bit whenever he appeared.
Regardless, this is a strong directorial debut. Don’t let this one get lost in the shuffle, please.
