Movie Review: ‘American Fiction’ | Moviefone
Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in writer/director Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” released by Orion Pictures. Photo credit: Claire Folger. © 2023 Orion Releasing LLC. All rights reserved. “American Fiction” will be released in limited release on December 15th and will be released nationwide on December 22nd. This is one of his smartest and funniest satirical films to hit theaters in a long time. Rooted in an assured, well-observed script adapted itself from a great book, Cord Jefferson’s feature directorial debut has a captivating lead performance from Jeffrey Wright, surrounded by a cadre of actors from which there are no false notes.
Is ‘American Fiction’ worth writing home about?
Brown plays Cliff Ellison, Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, Erica Alexander plays Coraline in writer/director Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, released by Orion Pictures. Photo credit: Claire Folger. © 2023 Orion Releasing LLC. All rights reserved. Racial issues in America and around the world are often difficult to address. And while this is definitely the driving force behind the film, it handles it with such confidence and creativity that it leaves you feeling moved and satisfied. Percival Everett’s novel Erasure shows how the black experience can be commodified and packaged for a guilt-ridden white audience, making it more acceptable to broader white society. Driven by a sharp and angry perspective on The story is even more difficult to translate into film, so Cord Jefferson, who has worked as a screenwriter for shows such as Watchmen, That’s an even trickier narrative to make work in a movie, so Cord Jefferson who has form writing on shows such as ‘Watchmen’, ‘The Good Place’ and ‘Master of None’ but hadn’t directed a film before is to be lauded for how effectively he does it. ‘American Fiction’ might occasionally fall into the odd indie movie trope, but that doesn’t diminish its power or entertainment value.
‘American Fiction’: Script and Direction
Having worked in a number of writers’ rooms, Jefferson is familiar with a clever screenplay; in this instance, he finds his own voice while also drawing inspiration from Everett’s work. Though the main plot is clever and well observed, the family story that runs parallel to it and occasionally assumes a prominent role in the life of Jeffrey Wright’s character Thelonious “Monk” Ellison is given ample room and time to develop into an equally compelling narrative. As a director, Jefferson primarily lets his characters carry out the heavy lifting. However, there are a few interesting meta sequences in which creations come to life, and the film’s conclusion is edited and reworked by two characters. The film’s modest color scheme emphasizes the story.
‘American Fiction’: Performances
Owning “American Fiction,” Jeffrey Wright unequivocally demonstrates that he is among the greatest actors of his generation, even though he isn’t always given the opportunity to do so (which just goes to show why the movie’s conceit is worth investigating). Here, Wright revels in the part of the monk, bringing Jefferson’s script to life in a way that is complex, imaginative, and deeply gratifying. An academic writer who balances publishing highbrow fiction with teaching affluent, socially conscious students at a Los Angeles college (he’s shocked to see his work filed in the “African American” section and insists it be moved elsewhere, only to be told by a nervy shop assistant that that’s not how chain stores work). Monk is a brilliantly rounded, fully realized character, one that
‘American Fiction’: Final Thoughts
There is a book awards ceremony in “American Fiction,” and the selection process for the books that make it onto the dais can be interpreted as a jab at the Academy Awards’ tendency to favor films like “Crash” (2004) that purport to shed light on racial relations. Yet as a movie itself, the film is good enough to be in consideration for categories such as Best Actor (for Wright), Best Adapted Screenplay (for Jefferson) and more. It might be dealing with a difficult subject, but it makes the whole endeavor look easy. As film directing debuts go, Cord Jefferson scores a real winner, and I can’t wait to see what he does next.