Amerikanische Fiktion

For reference, I frequently enjoy dumb-fun, mindless movies and watch basically everything superhero-related. You know... the kinds of movies where the writing is rarely the draw. Then I watch something with great writing and feel metaphorical whiplash. The difference is drastic.

Witty dialogue, intriguing story and clever scenarios elevate everything. The cast all give fantastic performances, especially Jeffrey Wright. But for me personally, by far the best attribute is the comedy. I full-volume laughed throughout. And the humor feels entirely original.

My only dislike is a few subplots, like the love life of his brother or the maid, that don't seem to be related to the main plot. They feel out of place and detract from the main story. Otherwise, I found American Fiction to be highly entertaining.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday 1/4/2024)

The part of the movie that concerns liberal white guilt driving forcing black voices into a box is funny and right on point. I live in the same area as this movie takes place and know many black people who express the same sentiments as the main character here... (Monk). But ironically it seems that the story that wanted to be told was likely interfered with by corporate suits and perhaps the screenplay didn't have a great ending.

Most of the movie is wonderful but the main character's LGBT brother is very likely not needed and was put in there to satisfy an agenda. Ironically... this movie itself is a vehicle for the message while also critiquing it. And at the end of the story it looks like it is going to go with a very Tootsie like ending but they do a few zigs and zags that I wonder if was just to extend the run time.

Overall though, very entertaining.

An author, dejected by the state of society and what readers consider black literature, decides to give the people what they want: a stereotypical black story. What was supposed to be a satirical commentary turns into something more than he ever expected.

This film is an adaptation of the novel Erasure by Percival Everett. The film is a good mix of drama and comedy. One storyline makes fun of how, even though society is becoming more accepting of minorities, it unintentionally marginalizes them by continuing to perpetuate stereotypes. At the same time, another storyline shows an individual struggling with the hardships of life. The film's display of irony makes it an intriguing watch and reflects our current state as a society. This is a great film to watch with friends and discuss afterward.

It could be that I am incorrectly reading this movie, however initially you would think the movie is the mockery of the racial rhetoric in media. It is basically thrown right in your face. However I think the movie is making a mockery of the viewers. It is basically saying: "You as a viewer now know perfectly what is happening in media, you are now aware of the 'correct' perspective, you are now a 'genius'". The same way monk was called a 'genius' by his mother. It taunts us with the answer to this specific social issue, seemingly playing into the idea that people want to have a form of higher understanding over others. Monk thinks he has the higher understanding, and holds on to it till the bitter end. In the meantime he alienates the people around him to so dearly protect his own pride. He seems insecure about his background and thus creates a facade for himself, a rhetoric, that he sees the world how it really is and he, and all black people, are the victims. Its all just foolish human behavior, there is no higher understanding, there is no real perspective, there is only your perspective, and the perspective of others. It is important to keep listening to what people are saying with compassion and understanding.

I am aware of the irony woven in this review, but I guess that is the beauty of human nature, our flaws are what keep the world spinning.

"American Fiction" has a great premise, one of the best in any movie this year. And I overall liked it and think it was well made, so I'm rounding my score up to reflect that. But it somehow didn't completely land for me, in a way that I find hard to explain.

I think it was the domestic drama part of the film that didn't completely work for me. The movie spends a lot of time on all the ways that Jeffrey Wright feels overwhelmed by his life's responsibilities, and it sags in some of these parts, and makes the movie feel a little bit like a slog. And I don't know that I ever completely believed the character played by Sterling K. Brown, who never seemed convincing as a gay man. But I did like what the film had to say about the burden placed on black people to constantly be representing black people everywhere that white people never have to deal with. And I also liked the choose your own adventure ending that takes the film into meta territory in its final scenes.

So, solid double for me, but not a home run.

Grade: A-