American Fiction (2023)

It’s frustrating to watch a much-anticipated movie that doesn’t quite live up to expectations. Such is the case with writer-director Cord Jefferson’s debut feature. The problem here is that the film tries to tell two stories in one picture, one that it does brilliantly and one that could use some serious trimming, because the inclusion of its segments interrupts the flow every time it comes up during the course of the narrative. This tale of a talented but commercially unsuccessful African-American author (Jeffrey Wright) laments the success of a younger peer (Issa Rae) who writes a best-selling “Black” book that he sees as little more than market-pandering rubbish. However, in response, when he does the same under a pseudonym as a means of protest, he becomes an overnight sensat...

Jeffrey Wright is great in this satirical look at all things hypocritical and exploitative surrounding "blackness" in the USA. "Monk" is the short-tempered writer-cum-lecturer whose behaviour gets him put on indefinite leave by his university and sent to Boston! That's where his family live and where we get our first introduction to his sister "Lisa" (Tracee Ellis Ross). Now she's got the measure of her curmudgeonly brother and as they spar we start to see elements of his deeply-buried humanity emerge. Maybe he's not the man we first thought, and that depth of character becomes more evident as we meet his mother whose Alzheimers is causing confusion and distress. A tragedy strikes which forces "Monk" to re-address his own life choices, his relationship with his recently gay brother "Cliff"...

This movie was decent....

Great movie!

This only solidifies my desire to view more, if not all, of Jeffrey Wright's filmography, such a fantastic actor to watch. In this he is no different, he is outstanding all the way through. Not that he is by any means the only strong performer, because Sterling K. Brown is also superb. Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Uggams impress, too.

There are a range of emotions to be felt throughout, the film entwines humour into events supremely well - it's much more amusing than I was expecting, especially given what happens early on. The latter is part of the sadness that constantly rears its head as well. No matter what, though, it is all seamlessly put together onscreen.

One scene in particular actually had me welling up, which is extremely rare for me; mentioned it before, un...