Conspiracy theories have been a fixture in American culture for centuries. From the JFK assassination to the landing on the moon, the human mind loves to levitate in the purgatory of curiosity, no matter how extreme. For the general public, this fixation becomes a hobby explored on a podcast, or an unhealthy obsession to push white supremacy. But for certain populations, where reality has been worse than fiction, these fantastical schemes perpetrated in plain sight become a survival mechanism.
The Black community in America has had to be extremely discerning regarding the “truth,” leading to a certain subculture where the conspiracy theory is almost second nature to the double-consciousness DuBois defined. A rite of passage. A precursor to being “woke” before conservative zealots got ahold of the term. There’s no better place than to explore these sentiments than in media – especially on screen – where we can explore the collective pain through stinging yet effective comedy.
This year so far, two projects have soared in the genre of Black conspiracy theory – Boots Riley’s coming-of-age dramedy I’m A Virgo and Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone, written and directed by new filmmaker, Juel Taylor.
Prime Video’s eccentric series from the Sorry to Bother You director uses a 13-ft. Oakland Black man to interrogate the dangers of capitalism, who society calls its heroes, and the never-ending commercialization of the Black body. Jharrel Jerome is Cootie, an enormous young Black man shielded from society by his parents, Mike Epps and Carmen Ejogo, to deter ridicule and exploitation. Instead, he grows up hunched over in their inconspicuous home learning Black history, consciousness, and that Bing-Bang Burger is poison. But like a bird, Cootie wants to flee the nest, especially after he learns his parents used to consume the forbidden fruit. So, for his 21st birthday, Cootie makes some new friends, eats Bing-Bang Burger, and ghost rides the whip into the public eye.
He’s instantly coined the Twamp Monster, a friend of the community. But soon his naïveté is preyed upon for financial gain, and his success becomes a target of a multimillionaire named The Hero (Walter Goggins), a white man who has adopted the identity of a comic book character he created to fight “crime.” A character Cootie admires from afar.
Jerome delivers a expert performance – both artistically and physically – as he had to perform with six-inch objects to create the practical illusion that he is 13 ft. tall. Viewers also get a standout performance from Olivia Washington, the daughter of Denzel and Pauletta, and sister to John David. As a young woman whose moves at the speed of light (I wondered if this was commentary on how Black youth are rarely seen as such, having to experience life a lot quicker than normal), she stuns the screen as Cootie’s newfound love interest.
The tale is a brilliantly crafted critique of our capitalist state. From the platitudes of public safety to the classism of the healthcare system, those wealthy in power are able to narrate those lessers’ lives with a stroke of a pen. All the while we below are encouraged to strengthen the vice grip with every dollar we spend.
They Cloned Tyrone looked every bit like Gen Z’s Undercover Brother, but beneath the comedic chops of Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, and John Boyega is a stronger emotional core that surpasses expectations. In Taylor’s film, Boyega is Fontaine, your neighborhood drug dealer who after getting shot, surprises everyone when he’s mysteriously resurrected the next day. He joins forces with sex worker Yo-Yo (Parris) and her pimp Slick Charles (Foxx) to get to the center of the conspiracy.
The film is a perfect balance of comedy and commentary on the real-life segregation Black neighborhoods experience. From the food and liquor stores lining the blocks, to the more extreme efforts such as redlining, environmental racism, and socioeconomic barriers, the movie tackles all these issues with an effortless care. It doesn’t feel preachy and isn’t littered with pulled-from-Twitter lines. Foxx and Parris’s chemistry is electric on sight, while Boyega delivers the heart of the story. And this has the most satisfying reveal since Sony’s Across the Spider-Verse.
I’m A Virgo and They Cloned Tyrone are available to stream on Prime Video and Netflix, respectively.
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