American Fiction (2023) is directed by Cord Jefferson and stars Jeffery Wright, Erika Alexander, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Leslie Uggams, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Adam Brody, and Myra Lucretia Taylor. The film follows author Thelonius “Monk” Ellison whose novels consistently fail to find any commercial success. Fed up with what is seen by the masses as “African American Literature,” Monk sets out to write a novel that superficially plays into black stereotypes: “My Pafology.” To his surprise, everyone seems to love the book without realizing that it’s actually a scathing condemnation of the current zeitgeist. After being initially apprehensive about the book’s success, Monk’s editor (Ortiz) convinces him to play along and line their pockets in the process. Bothered by the success of “My Pafology,” Monk decides to play more diligently into his fake persona in an attempt to clarify the book’s intended satire. The thing is, the more staunchly he plays into the lie, the more people love the book. This satire of the kinds of African American stories that become popular is juxtaposed with a secondary story of African Americans that is much more authentic. This secondary story focuses on the state of Monk’s family. After a tragedy, Monk and his siblings are forced to come to terms with their complicated family dynamic, displaying a more honest and modern tale of the African American experience. 

The cast here is strong across the board and I think that is partly helped by the film’s dynamite script. The film isn’t always as funny as the marketing would suggest, but the dialogue is consistently real. It’s been a while since I’ve experienced a film with dialogue that feels so casually perfect. It feels consistently nuanced in how people, especially siblings converse with one another. Jeffery Wright gives a memorable lead performance as Monk. In most of the roles I’ve seen him in, he plays characters that are a bit larger than life. He’s always been a strong actor, but this is the first time I’ve seen him toe such an impressive line between drama, realism, and comedic timing. He’ll never blow you away here, but the balancing act is impressive enough. Erika Alexander as Monk’s love interest is likewise strong. The resulting romance she provides to the story feels necessary as opposed to shoehorned. It really helps to draw the line between Monk as an artist and Monk as a human being. Likewise, there aren’t any silly or unrealistic overreactions that cause strife in the relationship. It feels authentic in the level of maturity that an adult relationship should display. Sterling K. Brown is a bit of a stand-out in his role as Monk’s estranged brother. The character is volatile but also sensitive. The thing is, it’s balanced so well that it simply results in the character feeling nuanced as opposed to contradictory. Even with any criticisms that will be addressed later on, it’s clear that two of the film’s biggest strengths are its performances and script. 

This is one of those films that has a lot on its mind and therefore doesn’t always follow through on every idea. That being said, it follows through on enough of them to provide a feeling of satisfaction. Likewise, the ideas that are fully formed are ideas that don’t often receive a spotlight, especially in films focusing on race/the African American experience. For example, I found it refreshing that our main character in a film about race doesn’t really even believe race exists as a hot-button issue. He’s just annoyed by the endless and fruitless discussion of it all. He just wants to write books. The thing is, the film finds intelligent ways of bringing him into the conversation whether he wants to or not. In one particular scene, Monk is bothered by the fact that the bookstore places his books in the “African American Literature” section. He argues to the clerk that his books have little or nothing to do with African Americans whatsoever. The clerk just shrugs his shoulders and moves on. Monk’s desire to stay away from the topic of race is exactly the type of thing that gets him involved in the first place. Monk soon realizes that the acceptance of African American stories only applies to CERTAIN African American stories (drugs, gang violence, police brutality, deadbeat dads, etc.). It becomes clear that this gatekeeping treatment of African American stories is just another form of prejudice. It puts the African American community into a box that tells the world: “This is who we are.” The thing is, those aren’t the experiences of a majority of African Americans. Against his will, Monk finds himself smack dab in the middle of a conversation he never wanted to have, but knows is right. 

The film is funny, but not in the laugh-out-loud, setup and punchline sort of way. It’s funny in a more intelligent and nuanced way. A lot of the funny moments are situational and require a lot of build-up and audience focus. If you’re paying attention and understand the implications, you’re sure to laugh and laugh hard. That being said, there is still a wide range of comedy that occurs. From cartoonishly crude to over-your-head intelligent, the film provides for all kinds of tastes. Although I didn’t laugh as much as I wanted to, there was never what I would consider to be a “cheap joke.”

My only small issue with the film is that I thought the two halves (family and book) didn’t come together in a very cohesive way. They juxtapose each other well but never mesh in a way that makes it feel like one cohesive story. Likewise, some of the arcs of smaller characters feel like they were left on the cutting room floor. There were just some small elements missing that could’ve brought everything together perfectly. Also, the film’s wrap-up seems a bit quick, messy, and unfulfilling. Not bad, just noticeably flawed.

Overall, American Fiction isn’t one of the better comedies you’ll see, but it is one of the stronger films to tackle race issues in the modern age. The situations feel original, but so obvious in hindsight. Why hadn’t someone thought of this before? It justifies its importance because of this. Obvious and necessary, but simply not capitalized on. The performances are great, the characters feel real, and there’s a balance of ideas that seem scathing to both sides of the age-old discussion about race. The film tackles the idea that accurate portrayals of the African American experiences are often at odds with commercial objectives. It comes to terms with the fact that most white audiences/readers aren’t racist, but the foundations through which they understand the black experience are outdated and narrow at best. If you want a film that is thought-provoking and original, check this one out. Although the movie didn’t blow me away, I still think it has the potential to find a spot on my upcoming Top Ten Movies of 2023 list.  For now, the film gets a solid B