| They Cloned Tyrone | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Juel Taylor |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Ken Seng |
| Edited by | Saira Haider |
| Music by |
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Production company | MACRO Media |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
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Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
They Cloned Tyrone is a 2023 American science fiction comedy mystery film directed by Juel Taylor, in his feature film directorial debut, from a screenplay he wrote with Tony Rettenmaier. It stars John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx (who also serves as a producer) as an unlikely trio uncovering a government cloning conspiracy. David Alan Grier and Kiefer Sutherland also appear in supporting roles.
They Cloned Tyrone premiered at the American Black Film Festival on June 14, 2023. It was released in limited theaters on July 14, 2023, before being released by Netflix on July 21. The film received positive reviews from critics. [1]
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They Cloned Tyrone | Official Trailer | Netflix
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They Cloned Tyrone | Official Teaser | Netflix
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THEY CLONED TYRONE MOVIE REVIEW | Double Toasted
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They Cloned-Tyrone Ending Scene | Netflix They Cloned-Tyrone |
Transcription
Plot
Fontaine is a drug dealer in a suburban neighborhood called the Glen with odds against him and a schedule he keeps daily. His mother stays in her room all day and rarely speaks to Fontaine. He still mourns the death of his younger brother. Slick Charles, one of Fontaine's customers, initiates a fight with one of his many sex workers, Yo-Yo. Fontaine goes to confront Slick Charles who owes Fontaine money and encounters Yo-Yo on the way. Fontaine is able to get some of the money from Slick but once he enters his car, he is fatally shot by an opposing drug dealer named Isaac who blocks in his car.
The next morning, Slick is shocked when Fontaine shows up for the money once again, somehow alive and without any recollections of the previous night's events. The two find Yo-Yo to confirm Slick's claims of his death, which confuses Fontaine. He remembers a man, bleeding from a gunshot, was kidnapped by a black SUV, which is now parked outside of a trap house. Fontaine goes inside the house to investigate with Slick and Yo-Yo.
They discover an elevator leading to an underground lab. Inside, a white scientist with an afro tells them that the operation has gone widespread. Slick snorts a mysterious white substance he thinks is cocaine, but ends up laughing and accidentally killing the scientist after Yo-Yo causes a small explosion. Before they leave, the trio discovers a corpse lying on a table, identical to Fontaine.
The next morning, Fontaine breaks into the house again, only to find that the entrance to the lab has disappeared. At a fried chicken restaurant, the diners are giddy with laughter, which makes Slick realize that the fried chicken contains the same substance that he consumed previously. Yo-Yo seduces the restaurant manager, who looks similar to the scientist Slick killed. She discovers that the entirety of the Glen is being surveilled and recorded. They discover that the substance is also being used in grape drinks and hair products. Through some hidden messages from an alcoholic Fontaine encounters daily, they discover a Black church where the group becomes unsettled by lyrics that the churchgoers sing, as a result of the grape drink's influence. After the service, the group discovers an elevator in the altar.
They discover that the lab facility spans the entire Glen area and witness Black people being subject to disturbing behavioral experiments. They find that the lab has clones of many but not all Glen residents, including Fontaine and Slick Charles. They watch the predominantly white, male scientists control the clones through songs and visual stimulation. They exit through a strip club after Fontaine sets off an alarm. The DJ brainwashes the clubgoers with a song and then forces them to chase the trio. A white man named Nixon and a Fontaine clone named Chester show up to halt the clubgoers.
Nixon reveals that scientists conduct experiments on impoverished, predominantly Black populations, including the Glen, to allow the operation to go unnoticed and supposedly achieve peace in America. Nixon uses a trigger word, causing the entire crowd to follow his commands with the exception of Yo-Yo. Nixon tells Fontaine to put a pistol in his mouth, which he does. Yo-Yo pleads for her life, and Nixon uses another trigger word to release them from their hypnotic state. The entire crowd was conscious the entire time, unable to control their actions. Despite the fact that Yo-Yo was a witness who was unaffected, Nixon still threatens to use it on the crowd again if they don't stop their investigation.
Fontaine falls deeper into a state of despair after discovering that his mother, whom he had never actually seen, was just a voice on a tape recorder. Yo-Yo decides to take matters into her own hands, but has her identity exposed and is kidnapped by Nixon. Fontaine comes up with a plan with Slick and Isaac to rescue Yo-Yo, faking his death to sneak into the lab undetected. Fontaine lets Slick and Isaac in to storm the lab with numerous residents of the Glen. They free the Black people being experimented on, including the clones, while Yo-Yo frees herself and finds Slick.
Fontaine is overpowered by Chester and taken to an older version of Fontaine, revealed to be the original Fontaine. He explains that he is helping scientists to create "peace" by whitewashing Black people into White people, through mind control and generational breeding. The racially-motivated murder of Fontaine's little brother by a police officer prompted him to start making the clones. After the elder Fontaine claims that the country would be better with assimilation than annihilation, Fontaine uses Nixon's trigger word on Chester and has him shoot the original. Meanwhile, Yo-Yo stalls Nixon from killing her before Slick shoots him in the head.
The facility entrance to the church opens, spilling naked clones out to the public and exposing the country's secret operation. After Yo-Yo announces her retirement from her job, the trio decides to head to Memphis, to further expose and stop the operation.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, a man named Tyrone is identical to Fontaine and living the same lifestyle as Fontaine. With his friends, he watches as one of Fontaine's clones appears on TV.
Cast
- John Boyega as Fontaine / Old Fontaine / Chester / Tyrone
- Teyonah Parris as Yo-Yo
- Jamie Foxx as Slick Charles
- Kiefer Sutherland as Nixon
- David Alan Grier as The Preacher
- J. Alphonse Nicholson as Isaac
- Tamberla Perry as Biddy
- Eric Robinson Jr. as Big Moss
Production
Development on the film began in February 2019 when the screenplay was optioned from The Black List of popular but un-produced scripts.[2] It was conceived as a "genre-bending" homage to the Blaxploitation films of 1970s, featuring elements of satire, mystery, horror, science fiction, and absurdist humor.[3]
In February 2019, it was announced that Brian Tyree Henry was in negotiations to star in the film, with Taylor set to direct under the production company MACRO Media.[4] Later that year in October, John Boyega joined the cast, replacing Henry in the lead role, with production expected to begin in early 2020 and Netflix set to distribute.[5] Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris joined the cast in September 2020.[6]
Principal photography began in November 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia.[7][8] Filming took place in Blackhall Studios and wrapped in April 2021.[9] Taylor cited They Live, Groundhog Day, It Follows, and Napoleon Dynamite as influences on the film.[10]
Music
Release
They Cloned Tyrone premiered at the 27th American Black Film Festival (ABFF) on June 14, 2023.[11][12] It also screened at the 49th Newark Black Film Festival (NBFF) on July 12, 2023.[13] The film began a limited theatrical release on July 14, 2023, before streaming on Netflix a week later (July 21, 2023).[14][15]
Marketing
On February 3, 2022, Foxx shared an image of the lead cast in-costume on the set of They Cloned Tyrone.[16] CinemaBlend complimented the "stylish and cool" aesthetic of the costuming, writing: "To say their looks were interesting would be an understatement. Foxx’s asymmetrical high-top alone is a statement. Each character’s personality comes out through their style. Jamie Foxx personifies the high-end slick talker with his high-top, purple felt suit, and faux leather jacket. Teyonah Parris comes off as a Blaxploitation star mixed with futurism with her natural hair, faux fur yellow coat, leopard print pants, and thigh-high boots. John Boyega goes full grimy hustler in his gold tooth and striped track pants with a green hoodie and padded jacket".[16]
A teaser trailer for the film was released, on September 24, 2022, during Netflix's global fan event Tudum.[17] It featured a rendition of the Gap Band's 1982 song "You Dropped a Bomb on Me".[18] Deadline wrote that the trailer "vibes a stylized modern yet 1970s feel".[19] Erin Brady of /Film liked the premise and characters introduced in the trailer and remarked: "If this isn't sci-fi throwback pulp, then what is?"[20] Jeremy Fuster of TheWrap compared the film's conspiracy-theorist plot to the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, a government-funded medical study done on Black subjects in Tuskegee, Alabama between 1932 and 1972.[21]
Netflix released a trio of character posters on June 12, 2023, featuring the lead cast in stylized silhouettes.[22] Cameron Bonomolo of ComicBook.com called them "trippy", while Collider speculated that "[the] shrouding of these protagonists in mystery might be a pointed reminder to audiences of the conspiracy that needs solving in the film".[23][24] An official trailer was released the following day. Lengthier in runtime, it featured a rendition of the 1984 single by Rockwell featuring Michael Jackson, "Somebody's Watching Me".[25] Yasmeen Hamadeh of Mashable complimented: "With its high-thrills trailer promising hilarious hijinks and '70s galore, They Cloned Tyrone is a must-add to your Netflix watch list".[26]
In their May 2023 issues, Empire and Entertainment Weekly published stories on They Cloned Tyrone, accompanied by several images from the film.[27][28]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 132 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "They Cloned Tyrone is provocative, clever sci-fi with an exceptional cast."[29] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 74 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[30]
In her review of the film for The Hollywood Reporter, Lovia Gyarkye called They Cloned Tyrone a "compelling ride" and praised the "sleek" direction, "savvy" score and "reliably funny" cast performances.[31] In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw described it as an "odd, slightly baffling but likable piece of work [...] with its own peculiarly unexpected innocence and charm" and commended the "powerhouse performances" from the lead cast.[32] Amon Warmann gave the film rating of 4 out of 5 stars in his review for Empire and called it a "stylish, laugh-out-loud blast that has something to say but doesn't sacrifice enjoyment to do so, anchored by a trio of great performances".[33] Debiparna Chakraborty of Far Out magazine gave the film a rating of 3.5/5, writing: "While it may exhibit moments of unevenness, They Cloned Tyrone still makes for an entertaining ride with the potential to become a cult favourite."[34]
In IndieWire, Christian Zilko gave the film a B+ grade, noting similarities between the film and Sorry to Bother You in their "genre-bending social satire" and praising the "infectious" chemistry of the lead cast.[35] Todd McCarthy of Deadline admired the cast performances and production design, but found the film never quite reaches its full potential, summarizing: "They Cloned Tyrone seems poised to become something that, at least initially, feels fresh, a conjunction of sci-fi and blaxploitation that, 50 years after the latter genre's heyday, could possibly give it a welcome recharge, if not a full-bodied return. But, as ready as the audience might be to be transported to hitherto unvisited districts of the genre's potential universe, Tyrone never quite gets there".[36] Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote that despite its "good set-up", "the film is too sketchy and conceptual to work as a bad-dream thriller".[37]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Reel Awards | January 16, 2024 | Outstanding Lead Performance | John Boyega | Nominated | [38] |
| Outstanding Supporting Performance | Jamie Foxx | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Screenplay | Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Ensemble (Cast Director) | Kim Coleman | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Emerging Director | Juel Taylor | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Score | Desmond Murray and Pierre Charles | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Costume Design | Francine Jamison-Tanchuck | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Editing | Saira Haider | Nominated | |||
| Celebration of Cinema & Television | December 4, 2023 | Producer Award | Charles D. King | Won | [39] |
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2023 | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Jamie Foxx | Nominated | [40] |
| NAACP Image Awards | March 16, 2024 | Outstanding Motion Picture | They Cloned Tyrone | Nominated | [41] |
| Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture | Juel Taylor | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | John Boyega | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Breakthrough Creative Motion Picture | Juel Taylor | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Jamie Foxx | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | The Cast of They Cloned Tyrone | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture | Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Cinematography in a Feature Film | Ken Seng | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Stunt Ensemble (TV or Film) | The Stunt of They Cloned Tyrone | Nominated |
See also
References
- ^ Daniels, Robert (July 20, 2023). "'They Cloned Tyrone' Review: There's Only One John Boyega". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ Anderton, Ethan (September 3, 2020). "They Cloned Tyrone Adds Jamie Foxx And Teyonah Parris To The Netflix Sci-Fi Mystery". /Film. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ May 9, Lester Fabian Brathwaite; EDT, 2023 at 12:00 PM. "John Boyega teases 'They Cloned Tyrone': 'It's a new vibe entirely'". EW.com. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Kroll, Justin (February 20, 2019). "Brian Tyree Henry to Star in They Cloned Tyrone for Macro (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ Ritman, Alex (October 18, 2019). "John Boyega to Star in Netflix Sci-Fi Feature They Cloned Tyrone (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 2, 2020). "Jamie Foxx & Candyman's Teyonah Parris Join John Boyega In They Cloned Tyrone". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ Clark, Jeff (October 27, 2020). "They Cloned Tyrone Hones In On Atlanta". Stomp and Stammer. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Casting, Project (November 11, 2020). "Netflix's They Cloned Tyrone Casting Calls and Acting Auditions". Project Casting. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Flam, Charna (June 13, 2023). "'They Cloned Tyrone' Trailer: Jamie Foxx and John Boyega Join Forces in Netflix's Science-Fiction Mystery". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "They Cloned Tyrone Is Like 'If The Truman Show Drank A Bottle Of Vodka', Says Director Juel Taylor – Exclusive Image". Empire. 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Wednesday, June 14 – American Black Film Festival Miami". abff.com. June 8, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ Flam, Charna (April 6, 2023). "John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx's Conspiracy Caper They Cloned Tyrone to Open American Black Film Festival (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "NBFF Pre-Screening: They Cloned Tyrone — The Newark Museum of Art". newarkmuseumart.org. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ "They Cloned Tyrone | Official Website | July 14, 2023". They Cloned Tyrone | Official Website | July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ "Everything You Need to Know About 'They Cloned Tyrone'". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Patterson, Adreon (February 4, 2022). "Jamie Foxx, John Boyega And Teyonah Parris Look Stylish And Cool In First Look At Netflix's They Cloned Tyrone Movie". CinemaBlend. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ They Cloned Tyrone | Official Teaser. Netflix. September 24, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ White, Abbey (September 24, 2022). "John Boyega, Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris Face a Funky Conspiracy in They Cloned Tyrone Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (September 24, 2022). "They Cloned Tyrone Trailer: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx And Teyonah Parris 'Aint No God****ed Detectives'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Brady, Erin (September 24, 2022). "They Cloned Tyrone Trailer: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, And Jamie Foxx See Double". /Film. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Fuster, Jemery (September 24, 2022). "They Cloned Tyrone: Jamie Foxx, John Boyega Stumble Upon a Conspiracy". TheWrap. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Netflix [@netflix] (June 12, 2023). "This conspiracy ain't a theory. They Cloned Tyrone trailer drops tomorrow" (Tweet). Retrieved June 12, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (June 12, 2023). "They Cloned Tyrone Character Posters Released by Netflix". ComicBook.com. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ Echebiri, Makuochi (June 12, 2023). "They Cloned Tyrone Posters are Shrouded in Mystery". Collider. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ "They Cloned Tyrone Trailer: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx Sci-Fi Blaxploitation". Gizmodo. June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ "It's Jamie Foxx, John Boyega, and Teyonah Parris vs. the government in 'They Cloned Tyrone' trailer". Mashable. June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
- ^ Travis, Ben (May 10, 2023). "They Cloned Tyrone Is Like 'If The Truman Show Drank A Bottle Of Vodka', Says Director Juel Taylor – Exclusive Image". Empire. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Brathwaite, Lester Fabian (May 9, 2023). "John Boyega teases They Cloned Tyrone: 'It's a new vibe entirely'". EW.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ "They Cloned Tyrone". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
- ^ "They Cloned Tyrone". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (July 14, 2023). "'They Cloned Tyrone' Review: Jamie Foxx and John Boyega Are Cool Conspirators in a Stylish Netflix Caper". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (July 14, 2023). "They Cloned Tyrone review – powerhouse Jamie Foxx in satire turned goofy caper". The Guardian. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ Warmann, Amon (2023). "They Cloned Tyrone". Empire. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ Chakraborty, Debiparna (July 18, 2023). "Juel Taylor - 'They Cloned Tyrone' movie review". Far Out. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Zilko, Christian (July 14, 2023). "'They Cloned Tyrone' Review: This Genre-Bending Satire Puts a Blaxploitation Spin on 'Russian Doll'". IndieWire. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (July 14, 2023). "'They Cloned Tyrone' Review: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris & Jamie Foxx In Grim But Gutsy Genre Mashup". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (July 21, 2023). "'They Cloned Tyrone' Review: Jamie Foxx and John Boyega in a Sociological Sci-Fi Nightmare". Variety.
- ^ Complex, Valerie (December 15, 2023). "Black Reel Awards Nominations: 'The Color Purple' And 'Rustin' Dominate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "The Critics Choice Association Announces Honorees for the Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements – Critics Choice Awards". Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Hilary (October 24, 2023). "'Past Lives,' 'A Thousand and One' and 'All of Us Strangers' Top Gotham Awards Film Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Jackson, Angelique (January 25, 2024). "Colman Domingo, Ayo Edebiri, Victoria Monét and Usher Lead NAACP Image Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
External links
This page was last edited on 4 April 2024, at 20:31