American Fiction - Review: Take a Look, It's in a Book

 

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. This adage has existed for as long as humanity has, as the more success one person gets, the more people will crop up jealous or bitter in some way over that success. This concept has been utilized numerous times in fiction in countless ways, and we now have writer/director Cord Jefferson’s directorial debut taking on this idea in the most classic and American way possible with the aptly titled “American Fiction.”

Based on the novel “Erasure,” the film follows Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, played by Jeffrey Wright (“The French Dispatch,” “Westworld (2016)”), a professor and writer struggling with personal loss and writer’s block. After a death in his family and spurred by his reckless brother Cliff, played by Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us,” “Honk for Jesus, Save Your Soul”), he decides to write a purposefully bad book aping what he sees as the derogatory way black authors write about their communities. When his book becomes an unexpected hit, he finds himself struggling to reconcile success with his perceptions about his own life, skills, and the literary world.

Jefferson’s script is exceptionally sharp and impressive, especially for a debut feature, getting directly into the meat of the material and leaving no punches pulled. It helps that he has such a game lead actor, as Wright turns in a career best performance here. He's unafraid to make the audience unsure of their feelings on Monk, and the film constantly pushes and pulls him in various directions because of the success of his book. As things continue to trickle down to him, his heart is laid bare, and it evolves into a truly fantastic lead performance.

Brown is also exceptionally good, almost surprisingly so. The rest of the supporting cast, consisting of Leslie Uggams (“Deadpool,” “Empire”), Erika Alexander (“Living Single,” “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), John Ortiz (“Jack Goes Boating,” “American Gangster”), Issa Rae (“Insecure,” “The Hate U Give”), and Tracee Ellis Ross (“black-ish,” “Girlfriends”) all fight to steal each of their respective scenes, and they play off each other and Wright flawlessly. Jefferson’s script and their performances all move effortlessly between the film’s most serious and dramatic moments and its comedic ones with seemingly zero effort. It's the kind of cast and film that makes everything you’re seeing seem effortless and easy.

Outside of the script and performances, the look and technical elements of the film are rather plain. It’s nothing necessarily bad, as they serve the film just fine, but there isn’t really any style to these elements. It’s shot in a fairly plain way, and the musical score by Laura Karpman (“Set It Up,” “The Marvels”) is good with some fun piano elements but isn’t a particular standout.

Rather the film’s ending is a big standout moment, and without getting into spoilers, it will certainly be the most divisive element of the film by far. The last ten minutes or so of the film delve the deepest into its satirical elements and start to delve into something even more eviscerating than anything else in the film prior. However, for as fun as it is, it feels as though Jefferson is trying to have his cake and eat it too. It doesn’t not work, but it feels incredibly jarring since nothing else in the film prior resembles this moment. It’s certainly not a bad ending, but it’ll likely be the most talked about element of the film and its most divisive by a long shot.

“American Fiction” manages to effortlessly blend its two halves into a cohesive dramady that mines the strength of its script and cast for pointed laughs and drama. Wright leads with a fantastic performance that is equally matched by the rest of the supporting cast, especially Brown. It’ll certainly be one of the year’s most talked about films, thanks to its performances, script, and ending, which all help to pad out its more rudimentary technical and directorial stylings. It’s one hell of a directorial debut and a movie with something to say and the mouth to say it. 4/5