American Fiction is an hilarious and excellent exploration of race and storytelling.
Plot/Story
In American Fiction, fed up with the mistreatment of black stories, novelist Monk (Jeffrey Wright) decides to write a “Black” book. One that contained all the major stereotypes presented in most media depicting black people. But, when the book becomes an unexpected success, Monk must navigate and confront his own writing. At the same time, Monk is forced to reunite with his estranged family (Tracie Ross Ellis, Sterling K. Brown, Leslie Uggams, Myra Lucretia Taylor).
American Fiction Comes to Life
Previously a writer on such shows as Netflix’s Master of None and HBO’s Watchmen writer Cord Jefferson makes his directorial debut. Adapting Percival Everett’s 2001 book Erasure, Jefferson, the cast and crew take the general premise of the novel and form a hilarious satire. A satire that focuses on which stories get told and who gets to tell them.
Simultaneously, Jefferson and company also explores the hypocrisy from gatekeeping, touching on what stories should be told. As a result, Jefferson’s script balances this commentary with a ton of laugh-out humor and emotional depth. However, the humor does not distract from the commentary. Rather, the humor adds to it. This allows for the humor and commentary to be in sync with one another.
Along with Jefferson’s writing and directing, multiple elements make the film stand out even more. The first element being Christina Dunlap’s stunning cinematography. It displays natural, earthly tones. Moreover, Dunlap shoots Boston with a general gray look. Whereas, when it comes to the beaches of South Boston, Dunlap allows the waves to permeate the screen.
The second, is composer Laura Karpman’s score. It displays a sense of melancholy by mixing it with several guitar riffs. Then, Karpman fills the melancholy guitar riffs with jazz. Finally, this takes us to the third and last element: Hilda Rasula. Rasula exquisitely edits together the cinematography and score, allowing them to flow seamlessly on screen.
Performances
Led by a ferocious Wright, Ellis, Brown, Uggams, and Taylor, all bring out a ton of humor and chemistry as members of Monk’s family. In addition, we have John Ortiz, who brings a lot of energy alongside Wright as Monk’s manager Arthur. And along with Ortiz, Erika Alexander, who plays Monk’s love interest Coraline, manages to keep up with Wright.
Finally, despite a limited amount of screen-time, Adam Brody crushes it as a hotshot Hollywood agent named Willy. However, the standout is Wright himself. Teetering on the edge, fully exhausted, and just about annoyed with everyone, Wright commands the screen. He brings a sense of earnest relatability, becoming the straight-man or the voice of reason.
Conclusion
Writer-director Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut American Fiction successfully brings Everett’s novel to life on the big screen. With a combination of multiple elements, Jefferson and company take the general premise of Everett’s book. They adapt it into a hilarious satire. This is then supported by incredible performances from Wright and the cast. With all of these elements in place, American Fiction explores which stories get told, who gets to tell them, and what stories should be told. Overall, American Fiction is one of the year’s best films. Definitely recommend seeing it this holiday season!
Score: 4.5 out of 5
