By David Baldwin
Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is a professor and published Author who cannot seem to catch a break with his new book. After a few failed attempts and bitterness over the state of writing about the African-American experience, he composes a novel using every Black cliché he can think of. He makes up a fake author with a fake backstory, and though his agent thinks it will not sell, the book is sent out to publishers. And despite Monk thinking he wrote a satire, a major publisher is very interested and is offering the largest advance he has ever seen.
And that is all before we get into some of Monk’s familial issues.
Watching AMERICAN FICTION is akin to getting hit by a shotgun blast. The satire and humour is razor sharp, as are the wickedly savage indictments on white people (specifically critics) and African-American stereotypes. Emmy-winning Writer/Director Cord Jefferson picked a hell of a source novel (Percival Everett’s Erasure) to adapt for his feature directorial debut, and swings for the fences from the moment the first image hits the frame. Some of it comes off as angry, most of it comes off as hilarious (so much so that people might not realize they are laughing at the microaggressions and vocabulary they use themselves). Either way, it is a terrific script that will likely reward multiple viewings. There are a few cringey and uncomfortable moments, but they are uncomfortable on purpose. Though he slows down a bit too much in the third act and cannot make the meta moments work as fluidly as they should, Jefferson has crafted a biting film that has its finger on the pulse of race and cultural relations. Expect a lot of online discourse when it is released later this fall.
Wright, long an underutilized supporting player, is absolutely incredible as Monk. He nails the cadence and rhythm of the poisonous barbs and does even better in the film’s more intimate and emotional moments. The Film may falter, but Wright never wavers. Supporting turns from Issa Rae, Tracee Ellis Ross and especially Sterling K. Brown are all fantastic, each one delivering profound and sobering monologues that speak to the film’s larger thesis. Much like the film itself, they are a total joy to watch.
AMERICAN FICTION screens at TIFF ’23:
Friday, September 8 at 8:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre
Saturday, September 9 at 5:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
Thursday, September 14 at 8:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre
Saturday, September 16 at 9:15 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto
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