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American Fiction (2023)

R ‧ Comedy/Drama ‧ 1 Hours 57 Minutes

Written by Cord Jefferson

Directed by Cord Jefferson

THE CAST

Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, and Keith David.

THE STORY

(In their own words). Monk is a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment that profits from Black entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, he uses a pen name to write an outlandish Black book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

THE BEST

The BEST things about the film

1. Solid Writing – You can only hope a film about a writer is well-written. And this one is. Fully fleshed-out characters, an engaging story, and wholly original. 
   
2. The Acting – Jeffery Wright delivers his best performance in this film. Sterling K Brown is also excellent, with a remarkable ability to slide the film between drama and comedy.
   
3. The Comedy. It’s a very funny film and at all the right moments. 
   
4. The Blackness – It’s almost ironically addressed in this film. It’s nice to have a movie that is more about Black excellence rather than the trope stories and characters that Black actors are usually shoved into. And that’s part of the point of the film itself. 

THE COMMENTS

One of the best films to come out last year is now coming out for wide release. 

THE LESSON

Let people like what they like. 

People love what they assume is the

IS IT REWATCHABLE

Yes.

THE FINAL WORD

American Fiction is one of the best films to come out in 2023, and it is only now out for wide release. It is wonderfully acted, funny, well-written, and poignant in its messaging about the exploitative nature of Black people in art. It’s important to support Black films/art that don’t rely on tired tropes or overdone characters. That’s one of the points of the film. Black people exist as sons and siblings of regular middle-class people who are just trying to get through their day. It’s so pleasant to not see a Black film centered around trauma. This one centers on family, art, and the desire to be valued as a creator and have a voice.

THE VERDICT 

My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

American Fiction gets a Love it

THE TRAILER

THE MEME REVIEW