At a time where ideas surrounding race and racism are at an all time high, American Fiction manages to highlight how it operates in the world of publishing, using its satirical plot to get its valuable message across.
The film follows Jeffery Wright’s Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison as he tries (and fails) to conquer the expectations of black writers in the world of publishing under a ‘gangster’ pseudonym, whilst also dealing with his own family drama.
The family aspect of this film is remarkable; both Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown (who play Lisa Ellison and Clifford Ellison respectively), work masterfully alongside Wright to really actualise a sibling relationship in a way that I’ve never seen on screen. They do it accurately – the Ellison kids talk like actual siblings. Sometimes films really struggle to nail the dialogue, but I have to hand it to writer Cord Jefferson – he got it.
I was a bit taken aback when Lisa dies rather early into the film, but the sibling banter we got leading up to it really sold the emotional weight of it all and I found myself as saddened as Monk seemed to be. However, after her funeral, Lisa isn’t really brought up again, leading to her death (or overall presence in the film) to be sometimes forgotten.
The comedy in this film mostly comes from the satirical representations of seemingly real publishers and it works wonders. Watching them play on race humour, whilst also keeping it light and inoffensive, is truly something – my packed theatre was filled with laughter as most jokes managed to land gracefully. My personal favourite is when John Ortiz’s Arthur accidentally alludes to Monk’s father’s death and immediately feels bad for it.
This film’s greatest enemy is its two plotlines, as it often feels like both are fighting for the spotlight and both are not getting enough attention. Whilst the story regarding Monk’s family is guided by his sister’s death and his mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the story about the publishers is filled with satire and comedy and is played up for laughs. This disconnect between these two stories and the lack of any sort of crossover sometimes makes it hard to remember that these stories are happening simultaneously.
I really feel like American Fiction would have benefited from being a TV show. Its family drama requires more dedication than the film is able to give as characters and plotlines are not expanded on as much as one would hope. The life of Clifford or stories about Monk’s father, or even flashbacks to the youth of the Ellison kids would have allowed for a bit more investment in the family side of things. It makes sense when you realise that writer Cord Jefferson is mostly known as a TV writer. Saying that, the film does a wonderful job of teaching you its history, via small comments or overt conversations.
There is no real ending to the film – just Monk talking with a movie producer regarding a film about his life. That doesn’t really do it for me – I don’t know. Making fun of a lack of an ending doesn’t make up for a lack of an ending. Yeah, I know things are mentioned – Like Coraline’s continued ignorance of Monk – but that’s it. We don’t know how his mother is doing, how Lorraine is, or – most noticeably – what Monk’s actions were at the awards show. I know he says he ‘said nothing’, but I’m not convinced by that. Why the film would choose to end on such an odd subversion of expectation is lost on me.
Despite it all, American Fiction is a hilarious film with a lot to say about how the world views people of colour. It’s worth a watch for its satirical views and wonderfully written family dynamic, but will leave a little bit more to be desired.
3/5