They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
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An unlikely trio uncovers a shadow government cloning conspiracy involving a suburban neighborhood.
The story
Fontaine, a drug dealer in the suburban neighborhood of the Glen, is killed by an opposing dealer named Isaac. However, the next morning, Fontaine reappears alive to his customer, Slick Charles, with no memory of his death. The two, along with Slick's sex worker Yo-Yo, begin investigating the mysterious circumstances of Fontaine's 'death.' Their search leads them to a vehicle and an underground lab where they discover a white scientist and a corpse identical to Fontaine. They soon realize the entire neighborhood is being surveilled and that a mysterious substance is being distributed throughout the community.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Fontaine, a drug dealer in the Glen, is killed by Isaac but reappears the next morning with no memory of his death. He, Slick Charles, and Yo-Yo discover an underground lab where a scientist explains a widespread operation. After Slick accidentally kills the scientist and they find a clone of Fontaine, they realize the entire neighborhood is being surveilled and drugged with a substance that causes laughter. They find a massive underground facility where Black residents are subjected to behavioral experiments and cloning. After Fontaine sets off an alarm, they escape through a strip club where the DJ brainwashes the crowd. They meet Nixon, who reveals the government is experimenting on impoverished Black populations to 'achieve peace' through whitewashing and mind control. After Nixon kidnaps Yo-Yo, Fontaine fakes his death to lead Slick and Isaac into the lab to rescue her. They free the residents and clones. Fontaine meets an older version of himself who explains he started the cloning to prevent racially motivated murders. Fontaine uses a trigger word to have a clone, Chester, shoot the original Fontaine. Yo-Yo stalls Nixon while Slick kills him. The clones spill out into the public, exposing the operation. The trio decides to head to Memphis to continue their mission. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, a man named Tyrone, identical to Fontaine, is baffled to see Fontaine's clone on the news.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Juel Taylor
- Writers
- Tony Rettenmaier · writer; Juel Taylor · writer
- Cast and characters
- John Boyega · Fontaine / Old Fontaine / Chester / Tyrone; Teyonah Parris · "Yo-Yo"; Jamie Foxx · Charles "Slick Charles"; Kiefer Sutherland · Nixon; David Alan Grier · The Preacher; J. Alphonse Nicholson · Isaac; Tamberla Perry · Biddy; Eric Robinson Jr. · "Big" Moss
- Genres
- science fiction; comedy; mystery
- Themes
- Conspiracy; Social Satire; Identity; Racism; Government Surveillance
- Tone and mood
- Satirical; Absurdist; Stylized; Suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- Cloning; Blaxploitation Homage; Sci-Fi; Mystery; Comedy
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Black List of popular but un-produced scripts
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with some describing it as a stylish and entertaining ride that balances humor with social satire.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 27
- Production trivia
- The film was influenced by They Live, Groundhog Day, It Follows, and Napoleon Dynamite.; The teaser trailer featured a rendition of the Gap Band's 1982 song 'You Dropped a Bomb on Me'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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