American Fiction

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.

An author, dejected by the state of society and what readers consider black literature, decides to give the people what they want: a stereotypical black story. What was supposed to be a satirical commentary turns into something more than he ever expected.

This film is an adaptation of the novel Erasure by Percival Everett. The film is a good mix of drama and comedy. One storyline makes fun of how, even though society is becoming more accepting of minorities, it unintentionally marginalizes them by continuing to perpetuate stereotypes. At the same time, another storyline shows an individual struggling with the hardships of life. The film's display of irony makes it an intriguing watch and reflects our current state as a society. This is a great film to watch with friends and discuss afterward.

"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-

For reference, I frequently enjoy dumb-fun, mindless movies and watch basically everything superhero-related. You know... the kinds of movies where the writing is rarely the draw. Then I watch something with great writing and feel metaphorical whiplash. The difference is drastic.

Witty dialogue, intriguing story and clever scenarios elevate everything. The cast all give fantastic performances, especially Jeffrey Wright. But for me personally, by far the best attribute is the comedy. I full-volume laughed throughout. And the humor feels entirely original.

My only dislike is a few subplots, like the love life of his brother or the maid, that don't seem to be related to the main plot. They feel out of place and detract from the main story. Otherwise, I found American Fiction to be highly entertaining.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday 1/4/2024)

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.