“American Fiction” Review
Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a down-on-his-luck writer who finds a wild way of achieving literary success in “American Fiction”.
If you are a big fan of the series “South Park”, like I am, then you’ll be familiar with the second episode of Season 14 titled (yes, this is real) “The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs”. In the episode, the boys are psyched to read what has been described to them as one of the most controversial novels of all time: “The Catcher in the Rye”. However, after reading it, they are puzzled and let down by what they think is just a boring book about some whiny, insufferable asshole (a fair assessment as someone who has read the book). So, they write the most disgusting book of all time as a joke only for the titular work to be heralded as a work of genius. This was what I thought of instantly when I saw the trailer for “American Fiction” as it looked like an intelligent satire of today’s perception of art as it relates to race. With a much longer running time than a 22 minute episode and incredible intelligence from writer/director Cord Jefferson, “American Fiction” is an exciting film that hooks you in from the first scene and is satirically rich while having a strong sense of self-possession.
Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is a talented author with a big problem: his books don’t sell. Despite his wit, strong prose and good characterization, publishers just aren’t interested in what he has to say. Instead, they feel that he, as a black man, should write something that speaks to the world’s injustices. Spurred on by a disgust with the literary world’s continued acceptance of what he deems rubbish disguised as powerful social commentary, Monk decides to write the blackest book he can think of under a pseudonym. With publishers going gaga over the book and big shots in Hollywood offering to buy the film rights, Monk has to decide which he is more comfortable with: writing from the heart without much success or pandering to others and achieving financial and social gain.
I doubt I’m the first writer to say this: this story should really be called “American Reality.” What Cord Jefferson has achieved is that he’s created a film that twists our modern sensibilities just a tweak, veering it into the world of satire. So much of this film and its ridiculous premise feels plausible with many of the conversations between Monk and his publisher Arthur (John Ortiz) with white publishers, literary critics and film producers sounding painfully real. But since pain is a significant part of comedy, “American Fiction” is one of the best comedies of the year.
Marking his feature-length debut Cord Jefferson’s script and direction of “American Fiction” showcase a new star in our modern cinematic landscape.
The fact that this is Cord Jefferson’s debut shows his promise as a filmmaker. I shouldn’t be too shocked since he’s also written for some of the best television series of recent years including “Succession”, “The Good Place” and “Watchmen” (for the lattermost, he won an Emmy) but I still can’t help but be in awe of such talent. I was worried that the film would go for the standard “liar revealed” cliché where Monk has to come clean at the end of the second act before making up with everyone he’s lied to and Jefferson, thankfully, doesn’t take that road. In fact, so much of what you think the film is going to do doesn’t happen and there’s something refreshing about that.
Jeffrey Wright is clearly a talented actor and has been involved with so many incredible films, shows and theater productions but this might be my favorite performance of his. As Monk, not only do we quickly identify with his struggle to be seen as an artist but also with his personal life. The relationships with his brother (Sterling K. Brown), sister (Tracee Ellis Ross), mother (Leslie Uggams) and deceased father are all explored and, while this ridiculous plot would be enough for a gripping film, the fake book (whose title I’m not going to spoil) Monk writes really only takes up half of the story. The rest of the film is focused on Monk, his family and his personal and business relationships. It’s not only engaging character development that gives Monk so much dimension, but it also provides good reasons why he keeps going to more ridiculous depths. It’s not just that he’s pissed off at his current state as a writer, he also has people depending on him that he needs to look after.
Through his turmoil and joy, Wright displays so much of the pathos of Jefferson’s script with his warm energy and the wisdom he’s accumulated. There is an important place for books about social justice, black studies and the ways racism has affected this nation and the world. But what Monk desires is the need for a much wider lens when it comes to hearing black voices. Not every book a black person writes is trying to be the book that beats out Malcolm X’s autobiography. As Monk describes one of his books, “the only thing black about it is the ink it’s printed with.”
But there’s also intelligent pushback on the way that Monk sees things from Sinatra Golden (Issa Rae), a writer whose book frustrated Monk enough to begin working on his lucrative joke. The discussion Sinatra and Monk have about the merits of their work and about how people of color are perceived through literature is so cleverly written and completely subverts expectations in the most wonderful way. “American Fiction” continues to prove a basic screenwriting principle that the great Aaron Sorkin preaches and that is smart people arguing is just as riveting as any jaw-dropping action sequence that Tom Cruise can pull off. Ultimately, a big takeaway from the conversation is how true art comes from a place of sincerity and how it’s the responsibility of people to balance that with what may or may not be commercially viable at the present time.
Obviously systemic racism and white supremacy and far-right nationalism are big threats to America, especially people of color, but this film takes its shots at the same target that Jordan Peele had in “Get Out”: insincere liberalism. I say this as a white guy who identifies as strongly liberal, there’s a stupidity that I cannot stand about white people trying to be more offended about systemic oppression than those who are directly being affected by those systems. It’s a way of lifting guilt rather than doing the work of trying to dismantle and reshape the issues in our world. The way the film addresses how both the industries artists inhabit and the general public put artists into boxes that restrict them is not just relevant for literature but for any creative industry. Sometimes, the artist can own the box and transform it into something unique and continuously fresh. Other times, they feel the need to go in a completely different direction to break out of the box which can yield mixed results depending on the case.
“American Fiction” doesn’t offer easy answers to the questions it raises and I like that. Sometimes you need a film where you have to just sit with it and reflect on what it’s trying to impart. A lot of my favorite films of the past year have done that, like “Oppenheimer”, “Past Lives” and “Barbie”. What these films all have in common with “American Fiction” is that there’s also an immediate satisfaction that keeps you hooked before you really start meditating on the deeper themes. “Oppenheimer” had incredible editing and one of the most powerful explosions in a recent film. “Past Lives” has believable chemistry between the leads. “Barbie” is a bright, colorful and crazy spectacle. “American Fiction” has outstanding comedy and such engaging characters. “American Fiction” might not be afraid to get serious, but it also can bring on the laughs which makes it one of the year’s strongest comedies and best films.
