Fiction américaine

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.

This was really good on so many levels. It was funny and thought-provoking and intelligent. I can see it landing a number of Oscar nominations, and not just so the academy can show off its new found diversity (although that would be fitting given the storyline and themes this movie tackles).

In short, Thelonius Ellison is a struggling author. When his latest book doesn't sell because it's not "black enough" he writes the most cliched black novel he can come up with, full of gang bangers and hoes. His agent submits it under a nom de plume and wouldn't you know, it becomes a best-seller. That's the bones of this story but it's so much more than that, as Ellison deals with an aging mother, an older brother who has just recently come out, and a new girlfriend. There's a twist towards the end of this movie that I won't spoil, but just suffice to say it made a good movie great IMO.

"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.

This is a very thoughtful and entertaining movie. My wife seldom comments much but even a day later she commented on how good it is.

Jeffrey Wright is professor and novelist Thelonious Ellison. His family and close friends call him 'Monk' in honor of the famous jazz musician and composer Thelonious Monk, who died in 1982 at the age of 64.

This Monk takes his writing novels very seriously but is not achieving much success. Meanwhile he encounters another author, a well-educated and well-spoken black woman. However when she reads a portion of her latest popular book, it is all broken English and black slang. He is taken aback, what is going on here?

At some point he decides to spoof the industry, he writes a novel of black characters who use reprehensible language and ghetto slang. He writes it as a joke with a made-up pen name. To his surprise and shock the publishing company loves it, they offer a big sum to publish it, and another company is jockeying for the movie rights.

Reflecting on the story I am a bit loss on how to explain the last half hour of it, but it is overall a very well-made and entertaining movie. Jeffrey Wright is superb in the role.

My wife and I watched it at home, streaming on Prime.