December 21, 2023
FILM: AMERICAN FICTION
DIRECTED BY: CORD JEFFERSON
STARRING: JEFFREY WRIGHT, TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, JOHN ORTIZ
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
American Fiction has a very promising premise. Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison, played by Jeffrey Wright, is a professor and writer who is discouraged by the preponderance of black stereotypes in books and films. After a confrontation with a student, Monk is put on a leave of absence and travels across the country to Massachusetts to spend time with his family. He continues attempting to write his own latest work but is struggling. What he finds at a literary festival is a fellow writer, played by Issa Rae, who speaks in a sophisticated and very intelligent manner but then reads from her own book which is filled with stereotypical Black speech patterns that Monk feels nullifies anything she previously said. He is frustrated at writers and Hollywood producers that only show this one side of Black life. He thinks it’s an easy out that is only pandering to how White audiences see the culture. Then, he decides to write his own “easy” novel to do the same…
This is the central idea that is initially very nicely developed by Writer/Director Cord Jefferson. He’s essentially asking if it is really necessary to give the marketplace what it wants or to try to be true to the diversity of Black life. In this sense, the film echoes what Charlie Kaufman experiences in the film Adaptation. Kaufman insists on staying true to a book about flowers that has no character development or conflict. Then he attends a writing seminar run by screenwriting guru Robert McKee and is basically yelled at for not wanting to follow the rules of Hollywood screenwriting. “Wow them in the end and you’ll have a hit,” McKee says. He does, and what Kaufman creates goes against all of his initial values and beliefs about writing. This is exactly what Monk experiences here. The difference being is that he is rewarded for his “street” Black story.
I’d have liked American Fiction more if it stuck primarily with this focus. However, where the film begins to lose its way is with some of the characters that are introduced and some of the chronology of events. Tracee Ellis Ross plays Monk’s sister Lisa. The role isn’t particularly substantial or relevant to the direction the plot ultimately takes. Her section of the film could have been eliminated and we wouldn’t really lose anything. Then there is Sterling K. Brown as their brother Clifford. He is a plastic surgeon who has recently left his wife for another man. Now he’s drinking early in the day, snorting cocaine, and bringing around young shirtless men. We know that he had a hard time being who he really was when his father was alive but why turn him into such a gay stereotype? Isn’t this exactly what Jefferson is saying Hollywood typically does with Black characters?
The length of time featured in the film is also curious. This being Massachusetts we’d expect some inclement and/or snowy weather at some point. However, when Monk arrives the weather at the family home on the water is beautiful – and it stays that way throughout the entire film. During that time a novel is written and evaluated by a literary committee for a possible award. The family “maid” (who is Black) starts dating and then marries a local cop. Really? In one season??
The narrative then moves into territory that I don’t want to spoil but suffice to say, Monk’s book becomes a sensation. As part of this, Monk has to “play the role” of the “character” he creates to write his book. Given who he is at the start of the film, it’s hard to buy his ability to turn that persona on and off. Another film that relates to this one is Alexander Payne’s Sideways, also about a struggling writer named Myles, played by Paul Giamatti. Monk is American Fiction’s version of that character but Myles could never turn on and off who he is – a downtrodden, struggling writer. That’s not to say that Jefferson needed to follow that model but he could have made the transition a bit more subtle and realistic to who Monk is as a character.
Of course, the fake work that becomes a success plot twist has been done before in films such as Sydney Pollock’s Tootsie and Mel Brooks’s The Producers. It’s always a lot of fun to see such a turn of events. Here, Jefferson puts his own unique spin on the approach using a very contemporary subject: Hollywood and the literary world’s need to put Blacks into a box of stereotypes to make money (depicting the culture as poor, single mothers, and/or street thugs.) Jefferson has a good time with this, leading to a particularly creative way of ending the film.
Jeffrey Wright is great as Monk. He shows a lot of range and creates pretty well-developed character. Issa Rae has some very funny moments as writer Sintara Golden, and Adam Brody makes a particularly effective Hollywood executive.
Ultimately, there is a lot to be entertained by here even though the film does lose its way at times.
American Fiction opens in theaters this week.
FILM: AMERICAN FICTION
DIRECTED BY: CORD JEFFERSON
STARRING: JEFFREY WRIGHT, TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, JOHN ORTIZ
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
American Fiction has a very promising premise. Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison, played by Jeffrey Wright, is a professor and writer who is discouraged by the preponderance of black stereotypes in books and films. After a confrontation with a student, Monk is put on a leave of absence and travels across the country to Massachusetts to spend time with his family. He continues attempting to write his own latest work but is struggling. What he finds at a literary festival is a fellow writer, played by Issa Rae, who speaks in a sophisticated and very intelligent manner but then reads from her own book which is filled with stereotypical Black speech patterns that Monk feels nullifies anything she previously said. He is frustrated at writers and Hollywood producers that only show this one side of Black life. He thinks it’s an easy out that is only pandering to how White audiences see the culture. Then, he decides to write his own “easy” novel to do the same…
This is the central idea that is initially very nicely developed by Writer/Director Cord Jefferson. He’s essentially asking if it is really necessary to give the marketplace what it wants or to try to be true to the diversity of Black life. In this sense, the film echoes what Charlie Kaufman experiences in the film Adaptation. Kaufman insists on staying true to a book about flowers that has no character development or conflict. Then he attends a writing seminar run by screenwriting guru Robert McKee and is basically yelled at for not wanting to follow the rules of Hollywood screenwriting. “Wow them in the end and you’ll have a hit,” McKee says. He does, and what Kaufman creates goes against all of his initial values and beliefs about writing. This is exactly what Monk experiences here. The difference being is that he is rewarded for his “street” Black story.
I’d have liked American Fiction more if it stuck primarily with this focus. However, where the film begins to lose its way is with some of the characters that are introduced and some of the chronology of events. Tracee Ellis Ross plays Monk’s sister Lisa. The role isn’t particularly substantial or relevant to the direction the plot ultimately takes. Her section of the film could have been eliminated and we wouldn’t really lose anything. Then there is Sterling K. Brown as their brother Clifford. He is a plastic surgeon who has recently left his wife for another man. Now he’s drinking early in the day, snorting cocaine, and bringing around young shirtless men. We know that he had a hard time being who he really was when his father was alive but why turn him into such a gay stereotype? Isn’t this exactly what Jefferson is saying Hollywood typically does with Black characters?
The length of time featured in the film is also curious. This being Massachusetts we’d expect some inclement and/or snowy weather at some point. However, when Monk arrives the weather at the family home on the water is beautiful – and it stays that way throughout the entire film. During that time a novel is written and evaluated by a literary committee for a possible award. The family “maid” (who is Black) starts dating and then marries a local cop. Really? In one season??
The narrative then moves into territory that I don’t want to spoil but suffice to say, Monk’s book becomes a sensation. As part of this, Monk has to “play the role” of the “character” he creates to write his book. Given who he is at the start of the film, it’s hard to buy his ability to turn that persona on and off. Another film that relates to this one is Alexander Payne’s Sideways, also about a struggling writer named Myles, played by Paul Giamatti. Monk is American Fiction’s version of that character but Myles could never turn on and off who he is – a downtrodden, struggling writer. That’s not to say that Jefferson needed to follow that model but he could have made the transition a bit more subtle and realistic to who Monk is as a character.
Of course, the fake work that becomes a success plot twist has been done before in films such as Sydney Pollock’s Tootsie and Mel Brooks’s The Producers. It’s always a lot of fun to see such a turn of events. Here, Jefferson puts his own unique spin on the approach using a very contemporary subject: Hollywood and the literary world’s need to put Blacks into a box of stereotypes to make money (depicting the culture as poor, single mothers, and/or street thugs.) Jefferson has a good time with this, leading to a particularly creative way of ending the film.
Jeffrey Wright is great as Monk. He shows a lot of range and creates pretty well-developed character. Issa Rae has some very funny moments as writer Sintara Golden, and Adam Brody makes a particularly effective Hollywood executive.
Ultimately, there is a lot to be entertained by here even though the film does lose its way at times.
American Fiction opens in theaters this week.