American Fiction
Year: 2023
Rating: R
Length: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours
As an author and a creative, American Fiction (2023) spoke to me in ways that I have yet been able to put into words. Similar to how La La Land (2016) highlighted the sacrifices and compromises we must make to achieve our artistic dreams, American Fiction revealed the difference between high art and lowbrow entertainment. I feel the struggles and concerns of Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) are ultimately the same for any creative person who doesn’t want to lower their standard just to be successful.
While the plot about Monk being frustrated that the manuscript he wrote as a joke ended up being wildly successful is the focus of this movie, I can understand the need for other character development outside this main thread. It doesn’t paint Monk as a likable character, which humanizes him and brings him down from the ivory tower of academic literature. Showing these interactions with those he might consider lesser than himself highlights the contrast between the works he wants to be known for and the one he accidentally succeeded with. Are his opinions valid? Sometimes, but it’s important to show that even he can be wrong.
Finally, the humor in this film was amazing. Jeffrey Wright’s fantastic performance is the glue that holds all the jokes together, even if most of these gags were mostly cerebral or commentary on white culture. The plot itself felt like the “failing to success” trope from the equally hilarious The Producers (1967)—and I give that comparison with the highest praise. And while the ending felt a little too meta and noncommittal, this was the only weak point in a solid film that had important things to say about black culture and entertainment.
A sharply hilarious examination of art versus entertainment, I give American Fiction 4.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
