Juel Taylor’s film “They Cloned Tyrone” debuted on Netflix on July 21. More than a film, this was a powerful in-depth exploration of the tropes and archetypes we have come to accept in many neighborhoods across the country.
The movie explores how people fall into the same ol’ same ol’ stereotypical roles no matter how big their dreams may have been or how hard they try to break the cycle. The lead role of Fontaine is played by John Boyega, a drug dealer on the mission of collecting his money for the day. This leads him to interact with a prostitute, played by Teyonah Harris, who helps him track down Slick Charles, a pimp played by none other than Jamie Foxx.
A mix of gangster, science fiction and blaxploitation movies, the film felt fresh, even though it was not entirely new. “Drop Squad” (1994) dove into the concept of re-programming the mind of an ad executive who had gone too far with his marketing strategies according to the group of culture-conscious revolutionaries bent on protecting their community. “Undercover Brother” (2002) spoofed the blaxploitation genre with Eddie Griffin’s portrayal of an operative brought back from the past to take down The Man. Even Chris Rock’s satire “Pootie Tang” (2001) portrayed the namesake character fighting back against the evil Lecter Corp whose aim was to exploit the Black community for profit.
“They Cloned Tyrone” again highlights the underlying feeling that there is a sinister agenda lying just beneath the surface. In this film, it is literally housed underground in a neighborhood called The Glen. This neighborhood could be found in just about any, for lack of a better term, urban area across the country.
Lulled into a stupor by momentary satisfaction through alcohol, drugs, hair relaxers or even fried chicken, the characters in the movie highlight how we are frequently hushed into non-action. We know there is something going on, we know we probably should do something about it, but we often choose to go along with the program instead of being a part of the change.
It is no coincidence that these movies continue to address this concept. With so many people feeling like we are running on a hamster wheel, repeating the cycle even when we know better, what do we do?
We look to politics, education, economic advancement, faith and family values for answers. We sit on panels and write articles, think pieces and books about what we can do to solve these problems once and for all. Yet, we wake up again the next day, the next year, the next generation seemingly facing the same problems that plagued us before.
For every step forward, it feels like we take two steps back.
One of my favorite characters was the corner store wino who seemed to have nothing to offer, but in the end had many of the answers the main characters were seeking. Always present, always observing – he could see the patterns repeating themselves when no one else could. While he was usually overlooked by others as just another drunk looking for a swig of malt liquor, he held the wisdom that comes from seeing people make the same mistakes again and again.
After emancipation, there was a period of advancement for Black Americans who almost immediately gained economic and political power. This was swiftly cut down by Jim Crow laws that stripped the rights of those who had taken advantage of the brief moment of progress. Not to mention the 13th Amendment which allowed for free, in other words slave, labor in cases of incarceration.
Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, New York’s Seneca Village and Indianapolis’ own Indiana Avenue were thriving Black communities that were intentionally wiped off the map.
We recently began entering college in greater numbers than ever before, with Black women becoming the group holding the most degrees, only to have Affirmative Action dismantled right before our eyes.
I, for one, have grown tired of seeing the same story play out generation after generation. We don’t need another clone of Tyrone to show us that it is time to get into action.
At the end of watching “They Cloned Tyrone,” I could not help but to think of the last scene from Spike Lee’s “School Daze” in which a frustrated Laurence Fishburne, tired of seeing his people fighting one another over skin color and social status, yells directly into the camera, “Wake up!”.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at CamikeJ@indyrecorder.com or 317-762-7850.
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
