Director: Cord Jefferson
Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 117 mins

American Fiction is the directorial debut of Cord Jefferson, a satirical comedy-drama adapted from Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure. It’s up for five Academy Awards in the Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay and Original Score categories.

Theolonious ‘Monk’ Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is an intelligent, middle-aged humanities professor in Los Angeles, whose novels receive academic praise but commercially perform poorly. He’s fed up of being pigeonholed as a black writer and his fury is only bolstered when he sees another African-American author, Sintara Golden (Issa Rae), being praised for her new bestselling novel We’s Lives In Da Ghetto, which panders to black stereotypes. Thrown into the mix are some family issues, primarily Monk’s mother Agnes (Leslie Uggam) showing early signs of Alzheimer’s, forcing him to spend more time with her and his wider family. In response to his pent-up anger, Monk ghost-writes a book called My Pafology, a satirical novel mocking literary cliches expected from black writers, only for him to be offered a $750,000 advance after he submits the piece to publishers out of contempt. 

American Fiction is a highly entertaining literary comedy with a blisteringly sharp script that in some ways, feels like a film a more muted Spike Lee would make. This is a tough genre to crack and there have been far more failures than hits but I genuinely laughed quite a few times at this. There’s also more than a few kernels of truth about the publishing industry and what it means to be a writer, exploring the highs and lows of both the creative process and critical reception. But Jefferson deftly balances his commentary on the media with a heartfelt treatment of the themes of loneliness and family. The family drama element of the film is equally riveting, with the treatment of Alzheimers touching and the mundane but necessary tasks of trying to get someone into a home. 

There’s some terrific performances here too, especially Jeffrey Wright who’s always been a reliable screen presence but doesn’t often take the lead role. Wright nails the prickly, depressing nature of his character as he struggles to fit in and open up to people but with an almost lovable quality. Leslie Uggams is terrific as the dementia-ridden mother and Sterling K. Brown turns in an atypical Oscar-nominated performance as Monk’s plastic surgeon brother who has recently come out the closet. 

To say the ending of the film puts a foot wrong would be unfair as it’s fitting for the themes that Jefferson explores, but I thought it was a little rough around the edges and I’d like to rewatch the film to see how it reframes what comes before it. Finally, while Laura Karpman’s score is often rousing, I didn’t think it was Oscar material.

I went into American Fiction with low expectations based on the genre but found it to be a thought-provoking film with plenty of heart and fat to chew on. Cord Jefferson walks a fine line between not being preachy but being effective and he manages it. This is a really strong piece of work and I can’t wait to see where he goes next.