Current:Home > My'American Fiction' review: Provocative satire unleashes a deliciously wry Jeffrey Wright-LoTradeCoin
'American Fiction' review: Provocative satire unleashes a deliciously wry Jeffrey Wright
View Date:2024-12-23 20:59:28
Could Cord Jefferson and Jeffrey Wright be the new Scorsese and De Niro? There’s definitely magic happening between the debuting director and his venerable star in “American Fiction.”
Jefferson adapts Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure” as a razor-sharp satirical comedy (★★★½ out of four; rated R; in theaters now in New York and LA, expanding Dec. 22) that ably skewers Black storytelling tropes and touches on race, pop culture, celebrity and identity. But as much of a wry hoot as it is, with Wright as the film's enjoyably irascible lead, Jefferson also weaves in a dysfunctional family drama that gives it emotional heft to complement the hilarity.
Thelonius “Monk” Ellison is a curmudgeonly California academic who frustrates students and fellow faculty members alike. He’s also a down-on-his-luck writer whose literature ends up in the African-American Studies section of book shops even though he argues with a store clerk, “The Blackest thing about this one is the ink.”
His overall annoyance with the world mounts as his agent (John Ortiz) says editors are looking for a “Black” tome and Monk attends a Boston book festival where the belle of the ball is a writer named Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) with a best-selling novel full of Black stereotypes titled “We’s Lives in the Da Ghetto.”
At wit’s end, Monk chooses chaos and, as a joke, writes a book with deadbeat dads, rappers, crack and other “Black stuff” under the pen name “Stagg R. Leigh.” His agent isn't amused but what blows both their minds is when a publishing house loves it. The novel creates a huge buzz in the book world and there’s even talk of a movie deal, all of which becomes a problem when Monk needs to figure out how to promote the work of a “wanted fugitive.”
'American Fiction':Comedy takes Toronto Film Festival's top prize, boosting Oscar chances
At the same time all that is happening, Monk’s sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) tells him that their mom Agnes (Leslie Uggams) is showing signs of dementia, and Monk takes a more central role in helping out their scattered family while also reconnecting with his estranged gay brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown). Monk finds a confidante in next-door neighbor Coraline (Erika Alexander), yet their blossoming romance threatens to be derailed by Monk’s literary charade and growing ego.
Name a movie Wright has been in – “The Batman,” “The French Dispatch,” even this year’s “Asteroid City” and “Rustin” – and the Emmy and Tony winner made it better just being there, usually in a key supporting role. While Monk could be unlikable in the wrong hands, Wright gives him smarts and a sarcastic wit as well as an underlying vulnerability and a well-meaning soul as he first rails against but later understands the choices fellow artists have to make. Rae and Brown also have standout performances playing off Wright as Monk's professional and personal foils.
'It wasn't cool':'Across the Spider-Verse' star Issa Rae regrets hiding her Barbies
Their great lines and interactions – often funny, sometimes biting, always thoughtful – are courtesy of Jefferson. “Fiction” announces the former TV writer (“The Good Place,” “Watchmen”) as a new cinematic voice to watch with the way he deftly balances Monk’s faux novel shenanigans – including one ingenious scene where the writer interacts with his book’s main characters – and his family strife. His insightful social commentary has a wide aim, gleefully satirizing different sorts of people and situations, and he makes salient points about the pigeonholing of Black artists and the importance of individuality. The plot grows pretty wild in the final act as the movie embraces a more meta nature, but Jefferson brings it home in the end with a pitch-perfect final gesture.
“American Fiction" is a story that’s provocative and satisfying, with a superb director/actor combo that's the real deal.
Golden Globe nominations 2024:'Barbie' leads with 9, 'Oppenheimer' scores 8
veryGood! (7691)
Related
- The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Donald Trump over 'Seven Nation Army' use
- An Ode to Chris Evans' Cutest Moments With His Rescue Dog Dodger
- What's open on Labor Day? Target, Walmart, Starbucks, McDonald's open; Costco closed
- One dead, four injured in stabbings at notorious jail in Atlanta that’s under federal investigation
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul press conference highlights: 'Problem Child' goads 'Iron Mike'
- Missing South Carolina woman may have met with Gilgo Beach murders suspect, authorities say
- Justice Department sues utility company over 2020 Bobcat Fire
- Miley Cyrus Details Undeniable Chemistry With Liam Hemsworth During The Last Song Auditions
- Jeep slashes 2025 Grand Cherokee prices
- Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Spotted at Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour Concert
Ranking
- Volkswagen, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Porsche among 304k vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- Hear Tom Brady's Historic First Phone Call With the Patriots After Being Selected 199th in 2000 NFL Draft
- USA TODAY Sports' 2023 NFL predictions: Who makes playoffs, wins Super Bowl 58, MVP and more?
- Bill Richardson, a former governor and UN ambassador who worked to free detained Americans, dies
- Opinion: NFL began season with no Black offensive coordinators, first time since the 1980s
- Russia-North Korea arms negotiations actively advancing, White House says
- A glacier baby is born: Mating glaciers to replace water lost to climate change
- The Heartbreaking Reason TLC's Whitney Way Thore Doesn't Think She'll Have Kids
Recommendation
-
John Robinson, successful football coach at USC and with the LA Rams, has died at 89
-
Kris Jenner Packs on the PDA With Corey Gamble During Magical Summer Vacation
-
Get Ready for Game Day With These 20 Tailgating Essentials
-
Russia-North Korea arms negotiations actively advancing, White House says
-
Inter Miami's MLS playoff failure sets stage for Messi's last act, Alexi Lalas says
-
NASA said its orbiter likely found the crash site of Russia's failed Luna-25 moon mission
-
Family in central Mexico struggles to preserve the natural way of producing intense red dye
-
Newly married Ronald Acuña Jr. makes history with unprecedented home run, stolen base feat