I am of two minds when it comes to “American Fiction”. I thought the theme here was phenomenal – the danger of promoting Black stereotypes and this not being inclusion. And I thought it was funny. But the plot in terms of personal storylines fell apart and felt jumbled together and random. I wanted more emotional depth.
The movie follows Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, played by Jeffrey Wright, a writer who manages to publish what he sees as a flaming piece of trash, but the rest of the world doesn’t seem to agree. He’s completely fed up with the media only presenting a specific type of Black people, people in the “hood,” people who exist in a world of violence, people who drink and smoke and don’t talk the way they “should,” etc. So he writes towards the very stereotype he hates. Publishers love it and it gains a lot of popularity among the public.
I must say, watching him sell a book he despises to publishers will definitely garner a laugh. Monk is frustrated because his very point was to write a book to call out the truth that only listening to a certain type of Black people is not inclusion. Directed and written by Cord Jefferson, it paints a very real picture of the experience of a middle-of-the-road Black man.
Monk was a bit pretentious at times, and it made his character less likable. It’s great to see representation of Black folks from all walks of life, but Monk seems like he thinks he’s superior to Black people who do come from struggles like that. I wish he had learned from writing the book why he should be more open to all types of books by Black authors.
The movie didn’t end well, it didn’t have a lot of emotional moments, and the parts in the movie that had potential to trigger the audience’s emotions were not developed enough to truly do so. For example, (spoiler alert) pretty early in the movie, Monk’s sister dies. The movie gives her death its due diligence, but there are very few references to her later on, and it feels like Monk doesn’t give it a second thought – the death felt random, like it didn’t connect to the movie’s purpose.
Monk’s domestic/personal life is what was lacking here – highlighting the fact the movie isn’t entirely focused on his book, but the author’s personal life as well. I get the effort, but that aspect falls flat. What I wish to have seen is a little more of Monk’s inner turmoil: with his mom’s disease, his sister’s death, his frustration with feeling like he needs to dumb himself down by making “Blacker books.”
Overall, this movie has loose ends that didn’t quite get wrapped up. However, the underlying message of abolishing Black narrative stereotypes, while not executed as well as I expected, is still an important one. And the cast’s acting was excellent, especially Jeffrey Wright. Filled with humorous moments from both Monk and the multitude of ignorant publishers, American Fiction is an enjoyable watch. It’s flawed, but will engage you as you watch Stagg R. Leigh – Monk’s faux name to keep himself anonymous, troll the world.
