Ficción estadounidense

I had not heard of this movie before the lead-up to the Oscars, and I thought that it sounded like an intellectual endeavour that would be important to watch. What I didn't expect was that it would be so much fun - hilarious, in fact!

Jeffrey Wright was spot-on in his depiction of a frustrated academic getting in trouble with his liberal white colleagues and students for being blunt when talking about race. Outside of his job, he's generally grumpy with everything and everyone. But in watching what he has to deal with, we really can't blame him: modern America expects everyone to be ambitious and better themselves, but when Monk does this, he feels like a fish out of water and only gains fans when he pretends to be a "poor boy from the hood".

This movie addresses a lot of issues, covering homophobia, infidelity and grief, as well as racism, but it does so with a light touch. By focusing on characters and entertainment, it enlightens viewers without ever feeling like a lecture.

The part of the movie that concerns liberal white guilt driving forcing black voices into a box is funny and right on point. I live in the same area as this movie takes place and know many black people who express the same sentiments as the main character here... (Monk). But ironically it seems that the story that wanted to be told was likely interfered with by corporate suits and perhaps the screenplay didn't have a great ending.

Most of the movie is wonderful but the main character's LGBT brother is very likely not needed and was put in there to satisfy an agenda. Ironically... this movie itself is a vehicle for the message while also critiquing it. And at the end of the story it looks like it is going to go with a very Tootsie like ending but they do a few zigs and zags that I wonder if was just to extend the run time.

Overall though, very entertaining.

American Fiction is a rightfully angry satire that gets a lot of laughs out of showing how the industry isn't as progressive as it thinks it is. What makes it even better is that it's also a surprisingly investing family drama that is exactly the kind of film it's complaining there aren't enough of.

The only thing that doesn't entirely land is the ending. It's still on point with everything the film has been saying for the past 2 hours and it is gloriously meta but it feels like it comes at the cost of an actually satisfying resolution to the character based drama it's been focusing on. Regardless, it's an interesting swing.

Jeffrey Wright is amazing in an all too rare leading role. It's the constant shock at how gullible everyone is, the glee in writing his parody book (which is visualised in a fun way) and the quieter moments of reflection. It offers further proof of his comedic talents and shows he can command the screen, though that was never in doubt.

With tons of charisma and a restrained sadness, Sterling K. Brown is really good, even if this performance doesn't feel Academy Award worthy. However, that's more of a general complaint with watching films after the nominations are announced since it adds a distracting and unfair disadvantage to any performance nominated.

Cord Jefferson makes an impressive debut with both his screenplay and direction. The writing has so much wit and the direction has the visual staging to back it up for some very clever gags. Laura Karpman's score accomplishes the difficult task of being a constant presence without becoming overbearing thanks to its calm and easygoing nature.

"American Fiction" has a great premise, one of the best in any movie this year. And I overall liked it and think it was well made, so I'm rounding my score up to reflect that. But it somehow didn't completely land for me, in a way that I find hard to explain.

I think it was the domestic drama part of the film that didn't completely work for me. The movie spends a lot of time on all the ways that Jeffrey Wright feels overwhelmed by his life's responsibilities, and it sags in some of these parts, and makes the movie feel a little bit like a slog. And I don't know that I ever completely believed the character played by Sterling K. Brown, who never seemed convincing as a gay man. But I did like what the film had to say about the burden placed on black people to constantly be representing black people everywhere that white people never have to deal with. And I also liked the choose your own adventure ending that takes the film into meta territory in its final scenes.

So, solid double for me, but not a home run.

Grade: A-

I was looking forward to this. It's as funny as I anticipated and didn't disappoint. I loved the humor, like the way Issa Rae talked about her book, then proceeding to read it. I remember how much and how often the theatre broke out in laughter.

It's a story of a black writer who is tired of society's tend to stereotypes so he writes a crappy novel with intention of purely just trolling, but people eat it up and it becomes a best seller. I think in a way, the movie itself is like that; it tries to divert away from what you'd typically expect from a black story, that sounds weird... from a story based on black characters lol. It reminded me of "The Photograph (2020)," an okay romance movie (with Issa Rae too) that I liked because of its portrayal of a love story between two Black individuals, where the essence of romance took center stage instead being overly focused on their race or any associated struggles.

Loved how it was directed, the subtle yet not so subtle instances of race even though Thelonious. The social commentary was done really well and did not need to be shoved down your face to be effective. The characters are very easy to get invested in, even the ones that are short lived. I've only seen Jeffery Wright in supporting roles but he really nails his performance as a lead here which was great.

It's a film that balances deep emotions with humor, a difficult feat to achieve. Loved how there's a lot going on without the movie feeling overly crowded. It seamlessly combines satire and social commentary with a compelling family drama, and surprisingly, they harmonize flawlessly. Despite not being fast-paced, the film feels tightly packed, dedicating time to explore both themes thoroughly. Moreover, the quick-witted dialogue adds an extra layer of brilliance. Undoubtedly, this stands out as one of my favorite films of the year. The anticipation I had for it was met, and it truly stands as a unique movie.