What to Watch This Weekend – American Fiction

American Fiction is a story of an author struggling to make an impact. Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is a very good writer; he’s just not selling any books. As he surveys those experiencing success, he witnesses a pattern. The most prolific of his peers (in his opinion) engage in pandering to their audiences by indulging in and propelling racial stereotypes. The weary wordsmith is further distressed by an abundance of familial drama. His mother’s health is deteriorating and his siblings squabble. In a stupor to escape his sad reality, Monk pens a new novel. But this creation is a farce; something Monk writes in a mocking tone where he exaggerates his contemporaries’ current tactics. Much to his surprise, his book is an unintentional hit. Unfortunately in order to keep up the charade, Monk must now create a fake persona that represents a very different identity than his own.

What works in American Fiction is the writing, Wright’s performance, and the deft navigation of the topic. Writer/director Cord Jefferson (Watchmen, Station Eleven) adapts Percival Everett’s novel Erasure and creates a complex, erudite, and flawed main character in Monk. With these attributes, Wright gives a performance full of comedy, drama, and an exceptional examination of media-driven bias. Wright and Jefferson strike the perfect tone of absurdity and harsh realities. This allows them to comment on tricky issues with disarming honesty through satire. The result is a journey for Monk that is introspective, a little uncomfortable (in a good way), and highly amusing.

Audiences who feel don’t enjoy films about sensitive cultural topics may not enjoy American Fiction as much as others. Unquestionably American Fiction has a lot of strong opinions about complicated, subjective matters. It also features a lot of characters who think of themselves as righteous in their perspectives. The arrogant nature of their demeanours may annoy or irk some. Finally, American Fiction straddles a realistic world and one of hyperbole. The ludicrous moments, as they escalate through the proceedings, may take some out of the experience as believability becomes thinly stretched.

American Fiction is a wonderfully creative film. Thanks to a career-best performance from Wright (which is saying something), audiences will likely laugh, think, and be moved by Monk’s narrative arc. For anyone who appreciates sharp screenwriting, this movie is not to be missed.

Recommended if you Enjoyed: Parasite, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

American Fiction is now available in theaters.

FOR FANBOYS, BY FANBOYS Have you checked out LRM Online’s official podcasts and videos on The Genreverse Podcast Network? Available on YouTube and all your favorite podcast apps, This multimedia empire includes The Daily CoG, Breaking Geek Radio: The Podcast, GeekScholars Movie News, Anime-Versal Review Podcast, and our Star Wars dedicated podcast The Cantina. Check it out by listening on all your favorite podcast apps, or watching on YouTube! Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Google Play

Share the Post:

Fox Troilo

Fox serves as an entertainment journalist in the Washington, D.C. When not covering cinematic news for LRM, he critiques films as a member of the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. Fox also has a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Strategy from Indiana University Bloomington.

All Posts