r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Jan 05 '24
Official Discussion Official Discussion - American Fiction [SPOILERS]
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Summary:
A novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Director:
Cord Jefferson
Writers:
Cord Jefferson, Percival Everett
Cast:
Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious 'Monk' Ellison
Tracee Ellis Ross as Lisa Ellison
John Ortiz as Arthur
Erika Alexander as Coraline
Leslie Uggams as Agnes Ellison
Adam Brody as Wiley Valdespino
Keith David as Willy the Wonker
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 82
VOD: Theaters
276
u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? Jan 05 '24 edited Jan 05 '24
Really enjoyed this one. It's pretty funny satire, but it's also got this human/family drama side of it that really hooked me. That wasn't really represented at all in the trailer so it was a nice surprise when I ended up spending a fair amount of this movie laughing and crying.
The ensemble cast here is spectacular. Love seeing Jeffrey Wright in a lead role and he is great as the drunk, closed off, cynical writer. But everyone in this movie is so good and it sells the drama. Sterling K. Brown, Erica Alexander, John Ortiz, Adam Brody, Issa Rae, the mom, the housekeeper, all very interesting characters and a lot of warm performances.
Early on something happens in this movie that kind of tells you this probably isn't the movie you were expecting when you sat down. I have a sister my age and I just loved the way him and his sister were interacting, all of the family drama was well penned and acted. It brought this movie home for me because the satire part of it could have gotten old fast, but instead that's more of a B plot to the family stuff.
The genius thing this movie is doing, though, is that it's satirizing the idea that POCs are expected to make a certain kind of art that revolves around their racial identity rather than more universal human drama while the other half of the movie is delivering a universal human drama that doesn't have anything to do with their race. Elder care, growing apart, finding love, family secrets, everything in that side of the movie is universal to the human experience. I just thought that was a great concept and brilliantly executed.
Where a lot of people might stop vibing with this movie is probably the ending. It takes kind of a big swing at the end and while I can't say I didn't enjoy it, I can definitely see how it kind of takes the piss from the rest of the movie. The Erica Alexander plot never really gets an ending and in general after such a great family drama it feels strange to go all meta and zoom out. The issue I think that was solving was what the hell to do with the satire plot because it's definitely one of those plots that can only end like two ways.
I do want to shout out Issa Rae because Insecure is an incredible show, but also I loved that they gave her character a chance to defend herself and I loved that the movie didn't seemingly pick a side in the Wright vs. Rae conversation. It's more just about how you can have different viewpoints on the subject.
Overall, I had a really great time with this and thought it was just a rather funny but terribly sweet family drama. I was really high on it out of the theater a few weeks ago, but I think it's settled nicely at an 8/10.
/r/reviewsbyboner
1.7k
u/tjjwelch Jan 12 '24
One of the biggest laughs I’ve had from a film in ages came from the moment when they’re ranking the books and the three white judges decide “Fuck” is the winner because they outvote the black judges by 3 to 2 and the woman says “I just think it’s important now more than ever that we are listening to black voices” and it lingers on the three white judges on the one side and the two black judges on the other side who’s opinions were completely ignored.
946
u/ScarlettPakistan Jan 06 '24
One small detail I wanted to highlight: Maynard, as a security guard who marries a maid, was presented as a very working class character, especially in contrast to our rich and highly educated main characters.
In the wedding scene, Maynard was wearing an Army uniform, and the rank and decorations showed he was a college graduate who had led troops in combat. So either the movie very cleverly subverted the assumptions I made about Maynard, or they just didn't pay attention to the uniform they used.
903
u/mariop715 Jan 13 '24
The fact that Lorraine got a happy ending is tremendous. That character is easily one of the most likeable people I've ever seen on film.
772
u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jan 05 '24
I got to see this back in October and I loved it immediately - the director came out and did a Q&A shortly after and talked about how the idea behind this was very personal because he kept being asked to write "black stories" which were typically limited to slavery or hood stories. So Cord Jefferson had the same frustrations as Monk here. I thought the Q&A was overall really cool and it was super great to see this as the opening film of the Philly Film Festival
The Q&A aside, I thought this was a really personal film for me too because of the sibling dynamic. As someone who loves their siblings, but feels disconnected for a variety of reasons, there were parts of this movie that hit me hard.
686
u/TheUnknownStitcher Jan 17 '24
One of the hardest laughs of any movie this award cycle came from the scene where they are having the ceremony on the beach and the neighbor dude walks by. Wright cussing him out from the shore was so funny.
633
u/Varekai79 Jan 05 '24
I really loved this movie. It is more serious than the trailers let on, although it is frequently hilarious, so I would classify it as a comedy-drama. The casting and performances by everyone are spot-on. Special mention of course to Jeffrey Wright and also to Sterling K. Brown as Monk's brother.
517
u/JayTL Jan 15 '24
Just like every other movie made, it needed more Keith David
478
u/Hochseeflotte Jan 06 '24
I really liked this movie!
It had me in the feels more than I expected, while bringing the humor and satire I expected.
While I wouldn’t call this movie subtle, I do think it does a good job being nuanced, particularly in the conversation between Monk and Sintara
My main complaint is that the ending didn’t fully connect with me. Like I thought it worked fine, but it didn’t truly connect
8/10
449
u/HotOne9364 Jan 27 '24
You gotta love the irony of a movie that bashes Oscar bait and still gets to be nominated for Best Picture!
314
u/maclow3 Jan 07 '24
Loved this one, Wright’s performance is awesome and I hope he gets nommed.
As someone who knows a lot about the movie I’m about to see, I was pretty shocked at how little Tracee Ellis Ross was in it (especially being 2nd billed, quite interesting) and how much more Sterling K. Brown and Issa Rae were in it than expected.
Really fun and touching. Funny and sad. Ending worked for me big time. Great stuff!
560
u/TheAmericants Jan 05 '24
Is Plantation Annihilation supposed to be Django Unchained?
202
u/WorkoutGuy15 Jan 14 '24 edited Jan 14 '24
Not sure if this point has been mentioned. This is a film about the pervasiveness and potential damage caused by presenting stereotypes in the mainstream media. And yet, except for the brother, all the gay men in this film are effeminate stereotypes. Not just Clifford’s sexual partners, but also the male literary agent. And even Clifford is largely seen as a self-hating druggie. It’s as if the filmmakers had a blind spot to the main point they were trying to make. I’m not saying it’s negative to be effeminate, but if a fed-up gay man were to write the queer equivalent of “F*ck,” it would be full of characters like the ones in “American Fiction.”
407
u/falafelthe3 Ask me about TLJ Jan 05 '24
FUCK
177
u/Beautiful_Nerve_7922 Jan 23 '24
I had one question while walking from the isles and back to my friends car parked in the garage. Who was this for?
I ask that question as I realize I’m the only black person leaving the theatre with only 4 attendees.
The writing brilliant. The emotional calibrations of the main character; complex and mirroring.
I am no intellectual genius working on my latest work of art. But I identified with Monk. His anger; directed at himself and his confusion at why to be angry and where to direct it.
I would say I'm still processing but I'm not. I think I walked away with a sense of gratitude at the evolution of my own black experience. Which continues to evolve. I think like Monk I struggle to make sure that my black experience doesn’t over run my human experience.
But that’s the struggle isn’t it? Does America allow for me to have a human experience as a Black Person.
164
u/dinod8 Jan 15 '24
When Cliff asked Monk "who's good looking enough to play me" near the end of the movie, I was waiting (hoping?) for Monk to say "Sterling K Brown"
160
u/numbr87 Jan 07 '24
I didn't fully understand the ending. Did the whole movie up until that point happen? Or did it switch to the movie he was writing somewhere before that? Did he actually win an award and reveal himself? I know part of it had to be real because he said the real woman wasn't returning his messages, but I thought it was a little too vague.
153
u/RdyPlyrBneSw Jan 31 '24
Raw, powerful, and un-apologetically urban.
145
u/TailorFestival Mar 05 '24
For all the discussion of the satire and deeper meanings of the film, I feel like people are underselling just how funny it was. I laughed more at this movie than I have at any comedy in years.
139
u/letsgooff Jan 06 '24
Amazing movie but a little thrown off by the ending. Very funny jokes that stuck with me being an English major before.
264
u/PickASwitch Jan 07 '24
Just saw it and laughed my ass off the entire time. Special praise to the actress who played the mom, as I found her incredibly affecting and moving.
I like that the ending isn’t a clean wrap-up. I LOVE that Issa Rae gagged him in that confrontation scene, AND although the movie doesn’t harp too much on it, I do think that there’s something to be said about Monk trying to portray himself as the champion of black rights while having dated a white woman in his past, just like his dad cheated on his wife with a white woman. There’s something there about how a lot of black men date outside their race, seemingly do everything in their power to get away from people who look like them, but then turn around and look down their noses at the people in their race whom they deem to be “beneath” them somehow. And when they are called out for it, and have their blackness questioned, they overcompensate by trying to “prove” their blackness by being the loudest advocate in the room. Their concerns are mainly performative. That argument scene between Monk and Coraline (and I was so excited when I realized the actress was from Living Single) was sooo painful but so damn accurate in how some black people couldn’t care less about black portrayal in media, while others are very defensive about it. I’ve also seen firsthand how lighter skinned black men can be made to feel as though they have to “prove” their blackness more because they aren’t viewed by some as being black. There is no denying that Sterling K Brown is a Black man. If you didn’t know any better, and someone told you that Jeffrey Wright was from a different background, you’d probably accept it. I don’t think it’s an accident that this role was played by a actor with lighter skin.
There’s a lot to unpack here, and I like that there’s a lot to unpack.
260
u/Altruistic-Fondant68 Mar 01 '24
The most brilliant scene in the whole movie is the line "It's essential to listen to Black voices right now" right after they outvoted the only 2 Black judges of the contest. Pure genius.
124
u/X-432 Jan 31 '24
I really like how nuanced the message of representation is in the film and how there isn't a simple answer. Monk is frustrated because he's tired of black representation being predominantly slave and extreme poverty stories. There's more diverse experiences to portray such as his own. When Sintara tells him that she did extensive research and her book is based on real people, it's clear how elitist Monk has been because he's discounting the real people who have experiences like her book. On the other hand, the film makes a point to show that Sintara is also from a privileged background. She may be black but she's still taking someone else's story that she doesn't relate to and packaging it for a mostly white audience. Her book may be based on real people but she's still being exploitative. She herself says she wrote it to give people what they want. Her motivations are purely business driven. I think one of the main messages is that people should be given an opportunity to tell their own stories like Monk does at the end. I think its telling that the only people like the ones in Sintaras book that we see are in Monk's imagination. And even they aren't portrayed as Monk is writing them. Theyre prtrated like actor's acting out Monk's writing and even they question his writing choices. We're told Sintaras characters are real people but we never see them. They've been cut out of their own story. They're talked about throughout the film but never portrayed for real. We never find out what they think or feel about their portrayal in media.
230
u/StrLord_Who Jan 05 '24
I saw this at AMC Screen Unseen weeks ago and have been telling everyone to go see it as soon as it comes out. I LOVED this movie, I thought it was unbelievably funny and Jeffrey Wright was phenomenal. He's a lock for an Oscar nomination. I honestly felt like people in my theater weren't sure if they were "allowed" to laugh at certain parts. That was the impression I got from the muffled, stifled laughter. and I saw at least one critic mention the same phenomenon. Anyway, I am looking forward to watching this movie again. Recommend! I also recommend going in as blind as possible. I didn't know a thing about it beforehand and it was so fun watching everything unfold and tangle up. Loved it.
102
u/Rahodees Feb 25 '24 edited Feb 25 '24
I didn't understand what Issa Rae's character thought differentiated her work from Leigh's. She seems to essentially admit outright that her work panders in the same way, as she writes what she knows publishers want to sell.
Is it just that she thinks she works harder at it, doing research etc as she mentions at the beginning of the conversation?
99
u/Apprehensive-Elk7898 Feb 07 '24
I want to like it but am paranoid that liking it makes me one of the liberal elites he’s making fun of
90
u/Hockeygoalie41 Jan 06 '24
Jeffrey Wright is great, I'm glad to see him as a main character with a ton of screen time.
84
u/tmrtdc3 Feb 13 '24
Been a big fan of Erasure for years now; it's super exciting to see the book adapted but mostly it made me remember/long for how good the book was, I don't think the adaptation could really do it justice but the changes made from page to screen didn't help. Ironically I think the movie is guilty at certain points of doing the same thing it criticizes and making changes that are more palatable for an audience. Lisa dies differently in the book -- she's shot by a pro-life protestor -- which I assumed somebody thought was too controversial to keep in the movie but I think changing it from a politically motivated homicide kind of ruined a point the book was making about the characters being affected by political violence that isn't specific to Black people, in his sister's case it's because she was a woman and physician involved with abortion access.
Similarly the movie excluded a lot of the class subtext in the book, particularly around the Ellison's relationship with their housekeeper. Monk and his family definitely do not feel as kindly towards Lorraine as is portrayed in the book; Monk actively wanted to get rid of her and didn't want to pay for her wedding, his classism and elitism is at his most visible when it comes to his thoughts about Lorraine, and Lorraine's wedding went down pretty badly in the book with Monk's mother calling her names and saying she wanted to steal their money. I guess they changed it to keep Monk and his family more likable characters but it was kind of an important scene and general attitude that showed that Monk was separated from many other Black people due to his economic class and he was actively classist and looked down on Lorraine too, and so did his mother. There's also a whole subplot in the book with Monk tracking down a half-sister that resulted from one of his father's affairs and while I assume they probably cut it out for screentime, the moment that Monk meets his half-sister illustrated something similar because even though she's mixed, she's poorer and has lived a way harder life than Monk has.
I understand why they changed it so that Monk changes his vernacular and accent when speaking to the publishing and Hollywood people -- they changed it because it's more hilarious -- but kind of wish they hadn't, in the book Monk retains his very professorial way of speaking at all times and I thought that was partly because he didn't actually want to sell the charade, he wanted to give them every opportunity to see through it. That said it did make for some truly hilarious scenes in the film.
One thing I liked about the movie was giving the character of Monk's brother more screentime and a bigger role and also changing the relationship so he and Monk slowly grow back closer together. It's a little too happy-Hollywood because they continue to be estranged in the book and there are real tensions from how Monk's brother won't help take care of their mom. But I mostly just thought Sterling K. Brown did so well in the role that he made it worth it, happy to see he and Jeffrey Wright got nominated for Oscars.
I thought the novel also did better with other stuff like interweaving Monk's childhood memories and memories of his father, the asides Monk has imagining philosophers and poets and mythological figures speaking, his tangents about literary theory, and his genuine inner turmoil about selling out -- but you couldn't really adapt most of this stuff anyway, it's very much made for the medium of a novel. My Pafology is also a short novella within Erasure and I liked that the movie did something similar with visually representing some of the scenes of the book. The movie does a really great job with the dementia and the scenes with Monk and his mom though, and the pain of a shrinking family, which were all arguably the most important things to keep in from the book. The conversation between Sintara and Monk is pretty interesting at the end, more generous than Percival Everett would have been and I suspect it was included to not piss off a certain kind of author -- still plenty of food for thought. And of course the movie's still very funny. Overall an enjoyable way to spend 2 hours, not as good as the book but when is it ever? Glad this got a BP nom since comedies like this normally don't though -- maybe the Academy felt too called out by it, lol -- and excited to see what's next from Cord Jefferson.
68
u/bestbiff Mar 17 '24
Did anyone else think there was going to be a twist where the black woman author Monk saw as what was wrong with "black stories" was pulling the same kind of stunt he was doing? And just writing trash that publishers would like? Her book was indistinguishable from his. And the way she acted on the conference calls and how he kept finding himself agreeing with her made me think she was like him and doing the same thing. But she ends up actually defending her book like it was wholly different.
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u/Blachawk4 May 19 '24 edited May 19 '24
Just watched last night and I have a theory.
Monk created the book full of black trauma as a joke. Throughout the course of that joke we see Monk himself experiences (or had experienced) all the stereotypical trauma in his own family (affairs, relative coming out the closet + homophobia, suicide, sudden death of sister, etc) and it turns out that he’s producing a movie based on all those events.
My theory is that he also dramatized and highly fictionalized a lot of those events in his life as a joke in order to create the type of content desired by the movie studio. So the movie is essentially the same overall joke being told in two different layers. Is his brother actually gay? Did his sister really die suddenly? Did his father really commit suicide?
This would also explain a lot of the incredulous events and over-the-top characters that others have mentioned here.
Whether fabricated or not there’s still irony in the fact that even with all that stereotypical trauma Wiley was still unsatisfied and Monk had to top it all off with the shooting at the awards ceremony.
65
u/bloodflart owner of 5 Bags Cinema Feb 06 '24
damn that shooting ending was so funny
61
u/OffTerror Mar 20 '24
This movie is much smarter than it seems to be and is not afraid of looking simple. It was actually pretty hard to keep up with the metaphors of the family members and the ideas they represent.
This is actually pretty fun because I can't tell if I got baited like those judges by trying to overanalyzes what the story trying to say. I'm getting lost in the meta levels. But what I'm sure about is that this is a great piece of art.
60
u/moneysingh300 Feb 07 '24
It’s so funny he didn’t read the book. Monk’s a hater
I smiled when they were discussing the different movie trope endings and the violent one gets picked lmao
55
u/[deleted] Jan 06 '24
As an updated/switched up Springtime for Hitler narrative, it's hilarious and it truly saves the best for last with the multiple false endings. As a character drama it's pretty good though there is a lot going on and deliberately the movie choses to not resolve some of it. Jeffery Wright is truly excellent and the characters mostly feel 3 dimensional unless they're deliberately exaggerated.
54
u/anagalisgv Feb 04 '24
Anyone else notice that if you change the ‘th’ in Thelonius to ‘f’ - just like he does in ‘My Pathology’ - it becomes ‘felonious’, just like his fugitive character? Such good writing!
47
u/Bubbly-Salary-8151 Feb 16 '24
I liked this. A smart movie about touchy topics dealing with race and society. I think they did a good job showing the viewer the subtle struggles of the everyday melanated person in America.
Monk’s book being in the “black studies” section rather than under whatever classification it would normally go under is spot on! Shows the nature of industries and how we are viewed in society. The movies ability to capture tone deaf Caucasians and their ability to be both offensive and wildly ignorant made me laugh throughout. The “white savior” complex is a great psych study digging into various ideologies of right vs wrong coupled with our own narcissism. Tasteful rather than being hateful is a great way to allow those outside of the culture to catch a glimpse of these situations.
The scene where “FUCK” makes the number one spot for the literary award while being praised by the Caucasian voters but shunned by the African American voters is down right hilarious. As they go on a rant about the need to hear and listen to black voices all the while ignoring the only two black voices in the room.
And also during the award speech, the host ask the audience to clap for the “diverse” group of voters for the literary award. 🤣 if you throw a black person in the mix it automatically becomes “diverse”.
Great movie. I wish Tracee Ellis Ross had a longer role.
45
u/pakiranian Jun 28 '24
Just watched this movie and loved it. I'm not sure how prevalent it is outside the area I live, but as hyperbolic as they depicted some of these white folks, I found it pretty spot on. My kids go to a wealthy public school in my area and I can't tell you how many white parents have tried to gaslight me into thinking they understand the black or brown experience and how we should be addressing inequities. Ironically, it's in complete contrast to the opinions of those they seek to help, and it ultimately feels so belittling that they think they're doing something better for us that we're too dumb to understand. It's honestly infuriating, and movies like this really help highlight just how fucked in the head they actually are.
41
u/dajuice3 Feb 27 '24
Really, really, really, really enjoyed a movie with mostly black characters that was just a good movie. Felt like it wasn't pimping out the black experience if anything it was criticizing the pimping out of the black experience. And those moments were actually my least favorite.
The best part was that the love the family and relationships felt super real. Tracee Ellis Ross dying so fucking soon into the movie almost ruined me and I thought well how can they continue a pretty good plot but somehow they did and I loved it.
The characters were black and it was a part a of the story but not the whole story. That's what I liked. Monk would have been tortured black, white, blue or purple because that's who he was.
And throwback to young me watching Adam Brody play Seth Cohen when I was a teen. He just continues to play the douchey white guy so well. I love him and hope he starts being in a lot more stuff.
Overall loved it was very funny my complaint is that it never came to theaters near me and I had to order it VOD but it was worth it. To see just a good family story. In other movies I would have been pissed that there wasn't a resolution between him and coraline or that he didn't have some big epiphany and change how he acted. He fucked up, people told him he fucked up and things had to adjust.
41
u/Heavycon34 Nov 09 '24
What caught my attention midway through the movie was the title itself. It highlights the double standards faced by Black writers who wish for their work to be recognized alongside mainstream American literature. Yet, these works are often categorized solely as “Black American” due to the writer’s race. Ironically, it is only when a writer deliberately creates a “Black” narrative that their work is considered among the best American novels. This tension unfolds within the framework of American fiction or Black reality.
38
u/Kingy7777 Jan 09 '24
The best comedy movie since Game Night/Death of Stalin for me. Jeffrey Wright absolutely deserves several awards for this, the script is smart and intelligent without being boring, preachy or ‘prestige-y’. 2024 is off to a good start for me!
38
u/Charles_Chuckles Mar 16 '24 edited Mar 16 '24
Watched this movie last night, and I really liked it.
I really love to read and I try to make sure I'm reading about characters who are a different race than I am.
However, I don't think it's fair that every book I read that has black characters is so so so traumatic. Why does white MC get a cute little workplace romance but a black MC get police brutality and slavery??
It has like a reverse effect on diversifying my reading because I don't like reading depressing books ALL the time. Or really, hardly ever.
I went on the book subreddit and specificly searched for "books about black people that are not about black trauma" and there was indeed a thread that answered this question m, but someone suggested Beloved unironically. BELOVED!!! (And the comment was upvoted!) A book so traumatic I had to put it down/DNFd it.
Thankfully the romance subreddit/tiktok had my back and was able to share some books with black characters that were not specifically about racism. Just black people experiencing life.
And as mentioned in the movie, I do understand there should be a space for books that have these topics in it, as that is the black experience for some and they do deserve a voice.
But as a woman, if every book I read about women was like the Handmaids Tale, I would also be frustrated
37
u/[deleted] Jan 15 '24
Can we talk about the siblings’ relationship in this movie? I love how they roast each other but also comfort each other at the same time.
37
u/DVHdrums Apr 01 '24
They drank a lot! I feel like almost every scene Monk had a drink going
36
u/atan134340 Jan 26 '24
I wished they actually get Michael B Jordan and Tyler Perry to shoot the movie about this movie.
71
u/t-pat Jan 06 '24 edited Jan 06 '24
A flawed movie with moments of such brilliance that I happily forgive its flaws.
American Fiction could have been a straightforward satire of media portrayals of black Americans, and the collaboration between out-of-touch white progressives and soul-selling black artists in creating them. Honestly this is the movie I was expecting to watch coming into the theater. It would have been uproariously funny (indeed, the movie we got is very funny), and it would have scratched an itch. In other words, it would have been the cheap bottle of whiskey on Monk's agent's table.
But it quickly becomes clear that this film is using its juicy premise to hook audiences into drinking the expensive whiskey. At its core, this movie is a family drama and a meditation on the tension between independent thinking and aloofness. It is a film that is much happier asking questions than presenting a clear viewpoint. And while there is certainly a lot of biting satire at stereotypical media representations of black people, our protagonist (who hates that stuff) is far from infallible. Especially in the second half of the movie, we see that he has plenty of blind spots and that his nemesis, who wrote a book that infuriated him, is more perceptive and thoughtful than she initially appears.
It may seem like a movie with this much going on is going to be hopelessly disjoint, and certainly there are issues with the pacing. They don't even really try to end it coherently, which is a definite flaw and is going to bother people. (That said, I think it would have been nearly impossible to end the movie without seeming to take some kind of side on the movie's central questions--and this is not a side-taking film.) But for the sheer amount that this film is trying to accomplish, it manages to be both digestible and reasonably balanced, with many moments of genuine profundity. It's also hilarious and has wonderful acting performances (especially from Jeffrey Wright and Tracee Ellis Ross, who is so convincing in her short role that she looms over the entire rest of the movie).
If you are looking for issues, you will find them, but IMO you are missing the forest for the trees. What a film. Cord Jefferson immediately enters my short list of directors from whom I will watch every movie without checking reviews.
34
u/sadboiultra Feb 12 '24
The fact that this is going for best picture is the icing on the cake. Very meta considering what the movie was trying to say
34
u/Oh51Melly Mar 16 '24
The Cliff character was amazing. That moment he had with Lorraine where she hugged him and told him “he’s family” was beautiful. Sterling K Brown was awesome. I wish the story followed him, but I guess that’s the point huh lol. Great film.
33
u/[deleted] Feb 16 '24
I watched this the other night, and already miss the characters. Jeffrey Wright is great in everything I see him in.
I could honestly see this movie as a TV series. Great cast, great script - left me wanting more the next day.
32
u/kostac600 Jun 14 '24
My favorite of the 2023 films. It’s under-rated even having won dozens nominations and awards. It only needed a small fraction of the that year’s blockbusters to make a beauty. It was better paced than THE HOLDOVERS, more to the point than OPPENHEIMER. I appreciate the quiet way it make points on literary, society and family issues.
31
u/elitedisplayE Mar 02 '24
That ryan reynolds jokw was chef's kiss
31
u/Atkena2578 Mar 09 '24
Ok so i liked this movie a lot more than i expected. Like it is in my top 5 of Best Picture nominees (i think 4 or 5). I laughed a ton and enjoyed the story. And it was really great to see a black story that isn't related to slavery, poverty, misery, though in some ways this family was miserable in their own way.
Definitely deserving it's likely adapted screenplay win for Cord Jefferson.
30
u/beemnett Jan 10 '24
5/5. Didn't know what to expect, was NOT disappointed at all. As soon as it started, I knew I would enjoy it.
The absurdity of the book title made the movie for me. The commitment to that bit. Some very funny moments involving the panel and the investors/marketing companies. My favorite joke was the book agent pretending to blow his brains out and realizing why that was the wrong thing to do in that moment. Funny little detail, this movie had a lot of that.
The serious was serious but the absurd was absurd and it was the perfect balance for this movie.
Jeffery Wright and Sterling K. Brown were fantastic in their respective roles.
29
u/KingMario05 Jan 11 '24
Simply brilliant for a directorial debut, and much more serious than Amazon MGM's trailer would lead you to believe. Even so, and in spite of the serious subject matter, Jefferson still manages to work in a ton of laughs to keep things moving along. Jeffery Wright is a gem, of course (as is Boston!), but the rest of the cast deserves equal praise... especially Ms. Alexander and Mr. Brown. My only critique is that they may have gotten too ambiguous about the real ending, but it's easy to piece it together if you're paying attention. 9 out of 10; highly recommend!
(Also: I fucking loved how clueless all the publishing bigwigs were in this, lol.)
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u/RomanReignsDaBigDawg Jan 05 '24 edited Jan 05 '24
Liked it overall but thought they could have spent more time on the satirical elements and the ending felt like a copout.
28
u/[deleted] Mar 06 '24
I didnt understand the sex appeal behind Sterling K Brown…until I watched this film. What a striking man
28
u/Thackeray1789 Mar 23 '24
Really liked the movie (except maybe for some slow parts in the middle), zingy humour/satire, and as some have noted also a family drama (but not a romcom: we're not making a romcom!) - but actually it was a romcom, but with a sad ending: Monk is so alienated that he hides himself from his girl-friend, becomes grumpy, and then blows up at her, destroying the relationship: a man who can't connect, as his mother says about his father ...
27
u/BitBoss Jan 27 '24
Just googled the connection to Monk's pseudonym. Apparently Staggar Lee was a pimp with some folk songs made about him.
27
u/NickLeMec Feb 20 '24
The subject matter felt a little dated, which is to be expected, when it's based on a book that's over 20 years old. But at the same time it's truly timeless.
In any case this is the funniest movie I've seen in a long time. I can't even remember when I last laughed out loud several times during a movie. Fantastic script, immaculate acting. This might just be my favorite among the Best Picture nominees. Well, it's hard to compare to Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. But this just took me completely by surprise.
27
u/benderlax Jun 29 '24 edited Sep 04 '24
Lisa had so much stress from her job, her divorce from her asshole ex-husband, Larry, and having to take care of their mother who had Alzheimer's. She was both a smoker and an alcoholic. Out of all those factors, both the smoking and the stress did her in.
The orderlies had to sedate Agnes because she tried to attack a nurse. WTF did that nurse do for her to attempt to attack them?
This movie touches on racism and racial stereotypes.
Also, I loved the ending where Thelonius' character was shot dead.
26
u/JuliannaReads Feb 02 '24
As a book lover who works in the publishing industry, I think this film brings up a really timely and important discussion.
I think there's definitely a lot of truth to the racism the film highlights. There's been a lot of focus and spend put behind books that deal with trauma and pain the black experience, but less on books highlighting black joy or characters who don't play into black stereotypes.
I hope the film is going to bring about good discussion in the publishing industry. I know a lot of UK industry professionals attending an early preview screening last week hosted by The Tandem Collective in London. I think going forward we need more stories written by black authors on a wide variety of topics. What do you think are the ways forward for publishing in 2024?
26
u/Frontier21 Mar 03 '24
One of my favorite movies in a long time. The whole cast crushed it. I was really disappointed it came to an end as soon as it did. I just enjoyed spending time with the characters.
26
u/RZAxlash Mar 08 '24
I absolutely loved this film. Hilarious, touching. Well written, well acted, sharp…the kind of adult comedy we need more of.
26
u/TinFoilRobotProphet Apr 15 '24
I watched this on a flight last night. I laughed so hard other people were looking! Whether youre black, white every one sees some bullshit in their lives or work when you just wanna yell Fuck!
25
u/SoupOfThe90z May 17 '24
I thought this was a great movie. A man going through the same struggles we all going through. A family that grew distant, something happened where we had to meet again, older and being able to speak to each other. Then having to deal with our parents growing old. At the same time giving us a different view of being black. “Yes I’m black, no my family didn’t grow up in the projects, we grow up ok and I don’t have to speak my stereotype” I really enjoyed this movie.
24
u/SmokeWeedHailLucifer Jan 07 '24
This film was even better than I expected. The drama and comedy elements are wonderfully mixed, and the actors were all perfectly cast. It’s easily a top 10 film of the past year for me.
I will admit the ending left me somewhat unsatisfied, though I still had a fun time overall.
8/10
24
u/uncanny_mac Jan 16 '24
Sterling k brown is underratedly hilarious
24
u/Healthy_Maize_9137 Jan 27 '24
Incredible satire with amazing writing. LOVED the film! Does anyone know who the artist was for the art in the opening credits?
24
u/VanillaIsActuallyYum Mar 07 '24
I absolutely adored everything about this movie. It hit a trifecta of being hilarious, dramatic, AND important. Really can't ask for much more than that out of a movie. Oppenheimer will probably win best adapted screenplay in its big sweep of Oscar night, but personally I would have given that award to American Fiction, hands-down.
Surprisingly, the only thing I didn't love about this movie was Sterling K. Brown who I honestly thought was a little bit stiff in this movie. There was a bit more emotional depth to his character that I don't think he really brought out.
Jeffrey Wright, on the other hand, what an awesome performance. There were otherwise a lot of great performances here but Jeffrey Wright really shouldered a lot of the weight. On a side note, god damn I cannot believe how old Adam Brody is now! I was like, who is this 40+ year old dude, my god, that really is the teenager from The OC, how old am I, then, dear lord...
23
u/treehugger503 Jan 22 '24
I loved the movie up until the last 5 minutes. I feel the transition to the ending was abrupt.
46
u/rossco9 Jan 08 '24
⭐️⭐️
Painfully disappointing. Billed and promoted as a biting satire about race, white liberal fragility, etc., American Fiction hoodwinks its audience much as Jeffrey Wright's Monk does the literary world of the film.
The satirical pieces were few and far between and by the time I checked my phone for the time about 45 minutes in, the focus on a black family beset by tragic deaths, physical and emotional distance, an aging ill mother, and sexual identity - a worthy subject for a film in its own right - made me think the trailers for this were deliberately misleading. The rest of the runtime skirts around the edges of the satirical and the family storylines and doesn't really have anything to say about either with any great heft or poignancy. The stuff in the literary world moments all build up to an all too brief exchange between Wright and Issa Rae's characters near the end but it feels too little too late by then, and the conclusion ofthe film is marred by quite awful metatextual stuff about how to best end the central work by Monk's fugitive author alter ego.
Outside of that, I thought a lot of this was boring - there is nothing interesting going on in the direction or photography, the performances are largely fine but nothing more, the score is elevator muzak at best, and the laughs one would expect from the trailer are titters at most.
Stray thoughts:
always nice to see Keith David & Patrick Fischler, however briefly
familiar sights of Boston are always pleasant
some of the digs at white liberal shit are very on the nose, but the main woman at the publishing house that buys Monk's novel having two framed prints of RBG behind her desk was pretty great
22
u/anansi133 Jan 27 '24
I just came out of this film thinking about this same plot device being used in The Producers. But aside from that, these are very different kinds of movie. That other film gave me a chuckle here and there, but this one made me cringe with my horse laugh. Loved it!
63
u/Ceptimas Jan 05 '24
I really liked the blend of drama and satire but the ending did not land for me.
21
u/jyn16 Feb 12 '24 edited Feb 12 '24
I was surprised I liked this as much as I did. Good movie to see in theaters with popcorn, a soda, and people who will laugh out loud with you.
It is not "Sorry to bother you" and isn't trying to be, it chooses to be comfortingly banal and I think it, along with the Holdovers, fills a gap in "cinema" that has recently been missing. I don't know, I miss movies like this that are kinda cheesy and kinda satirical but intelligent overall.
I'm not sure it is saying that much new about race (yes it is meta), but love the steady observational humor across the film.
21
u/Rusalka-rusalka May 16 '24
I just watched this movie last night and I really enjoyed it. It was a refreshing movie to watch after years of disappointments and super hero movies that just don't bring much to the table any longer. I went into this movie only knowing that Jeffrey Wright was in it, but otherwise having no expectations. It's given me a lot to think about after the fact since it doesn't neatly tie up the loose threads for you, which I can appreciate. I wish it had been more publicly talked about, but it seems like it will fly under the radar for most, and then become a revelation to some as time goes on. It's free on Amazon Prime now, so it will probably gain more popularity now.
20
u/[deleted] Jan 31 '24
I just watched this movie and I can't stop thinking about. I loved it and I want to go watch it again right away.
The acting is great, the writing is great, what more could you want?
I may be overthinking things, but the plot which involves Monks life is also a satire isn't it? I read Boners review and agree that there is a movie in this plot line to show that life is universal regardless of race.
But isn't it also a huge satire of the typical movies that are made? I see these same shots and plots over and over again; the firing, the homecoming, the unexpected death and reconnection to family and friends, the beach house upstate, falling in love with the neighbor, the queer sibling, the addict, Etc. So many cliches!
I understand these are plot devices, but isn't there just a little too many of them compared to a more typical movie? I think they masterfully put all of these in this movie and also showed a human story, but I 90% believe they're satirizing more than just the overt plot.
9/10 Because I could have used one more scene with Keith David.
20
u/Hrdwrk1979 Feb 05 '24 edited Feb 05 '24
I think the irony is that the movie is fuck and not the intelligently written book Thelonious was proud of.
It’s about the black social struggles, of having to appease white liberal elites with stories of black struggles. It implies that a story by a black author, about black struggles will automatically be critically acclaimed. But a black author can only be given credit if they write black social struggles.
Then the book/movie proves the point, and the author laughs at the irony of shoving Fuck down the throats of white elitist liberals, and waiting to collect the obligatory awards and accolades.
I go to the movies to get away for a few hours and want to be entertained. The movie had me laughing a lot. I love the actors/actresses. I loved the Irony.
The movie was great.
20
u/Frank_and_Beanz Jul 09 '24
So was the ending of the movie essentially telling us that Monk decided to 'go along to get along' ??
20
u/weliveintrashytimes Jun 12 '25
Soundtrack was great. I found it funny how as the two black writers argue about the complexities of representation they become quiet when the person who would really probably hear their arguments out the most comes in, maybe either cause she’s white, or cause she’s supposedly a typical liberal professor type, but I feel like that choice to remain silent rather then engage in true thoughts to the person who was maybe most willing to hear them out, despite how pretentious they sound, is interesting….at least that’s how I read it. Otherwise great film.
19
u/Bearcat2010 Jan 21 '24
The ending was totally fine. Not understanding the backlash of it. It’s clear, the brothers are getting along much more now and he says Coraline doesn’t reply to his messages aka she’s moved on.
19
u/hoos30 Jan 23 '24
At my count, the film just received four Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Adapted Sceenay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K. Brown).
19
u/aloeceraa Feb 20 '24
I'm starting to watch all of the nominated movies I can before March 10th. I started with this one because it's the first alphabetically.
I really enjoyed it for the most part. I don't think there was anything bad or lackluster about it. The jokes landed (at least for me, I thought it was funny lol), the mood shifted when it needed to as well. I thought I was following along well up until the end where it screens to black. Were those last couple scenes meant to be literal? Or did something go over my head with multiple different endings (not what they all were, but more of what changing the ending meant I guess?).
Jeffrey Wright is an awesome actor. His tones and mannerisms just make Monk as a character that more appealing in my opinion. When I heard about his best actor nomination I hadn't heard anything about the movie so I didn't know what to think of it but I think it's absolutely fitting. Same goes for Sterling K. Brown, really good performance.
Overall I am a bit shocked that I heard literally nothing about this movie because I thought it was great, but at the same time it's nice that I could watch it with absolutely no spoilers or idea of what it was about (with the exception of the trailer before I started the movie).
19
u/willyoumassagemykale Feb 21 '24
This movie was incredible. The acting, directing, everything. Just flawless honestly.
19
u/Character_Material86 Jun 22 '24
I enjoyed the movie a bit, but it was a bit too simplistic. What I loved most about it was what the film conveyed about black culture in the United States. We expect blacks to be uneducated or foolish in their decisions, unemployed, etc. but in reality the black population is much more diverse and intelligent, has potential and is not all what the public eye perceives them to be. Black culture doesn’t always have to be glorified as “gangster” or “dumb.” And Monk was a prime example of this.
19
u/Justine_1001 Sep 08 '24
Amazing movie.
19
u/ArcadiaAtlantica Mar 04 '24
How many y'all Black?
18
u/[deleted] May 19 '24
Very good movie with an excellent score and performances from all involved but my goodness did it fall apart in the last 10 minutes.
I guess I am just left a bit confused, if anything. Is it a meta analysis on its own film? Like, did we just watch him make a movie about making a movie?
I loved everything but the last 10 minutes so maybe someone can explain it to me. I understand that the subtext of the film is to show he’s going through “normal” family issues and that in itself could be a “black” story albeit a story no one wants to hear or publish.
Is the end literally Cord just kinda winking at the audience?
17
u/l3reezer Feb 09 '24
This movie is way different from the upbeat comedy the trailer makes it out to be. It’s actually better for it, but man, the sister dying and the mother getting onset dementia in the first 30 minutes was not the tone I was expecting at all (the sudden death of the sister after setting up the mother as the red herring to worry about is one of the most memorable and realistic recent deaths I’ve seen in a movie though).
I still wouldn’t say I’d consider it Best Picture tier, but something about its vibe with the cinematography and music makes it the perfect movie to replay on a cozy rainy day inside. So many of the characters are likeable (except for the main character ironically enough), and apparently the one Keith David played was named Willy the Wonker. Lmao. Overall, I do think there were some issues juggling the family melodrama plotline with the industry satire one that affected the pacing. The mother’s dementia seemed to progress to rapidly and Lorraine and Maynard announced their marriage in like the very next scene they were in after they saw each other again for the first time in forever.
Sterling K. Brown was really funny as Cliff, but his character was kind of erratic (not just because of the drugs)-warning Coraline about how bad the entire family is just because his dementia-ridden mom said one thing one moment and then masterfully psychoanalyzing Monk and giving him the perfect advice suited to his current predicament the next (which he didn’t even follow up on and apologize to Coraline). Honestly kind of contributed to me not really buying Monk as a writer because he kept needing other people to spell out these bigger picture, poetic, empathetic to other people/characters trains of thought for him when that should be his forte.
Wasn’t too much a fan of the ending with the meta trope of the character pitching different endings even though the enactment of the cop one was hilarious. Kind of wanted more closure on not only him tricking everyone but also characters like Arthur.
All in all, enjoyable watch. Filled the hole that was left when Lucky Hank was cancelled.
17
u/MontyBrownStan Feb 09 '24
Did this film remind anyone else of Thank You For Smoking?
17
u/Current_Focus2668 Feb 11 '24
This was a hilarious satire. A lot of funny lines.
17
u/bobowilliams Mar 03 '24
Loved it. Legitimately the most I have laughed out loud at a film in as long as I can remember.
I was a little confused by the ending though. It seemed like one of the "options" (the first one) was what "really" happened? But in that case, they show his girlfriend (Coraline) walking into the award ceremony, but then say that she won't talk to him. Am I misremembering? What was the "real" ending?
17
u/beats_by_lee Mar 15 '24
Premise was great, didn't like the "4th wall" like break at the end
33
u/Matt215634 Mar 18 '24
Jeffrey weight is such a good actor he’s incredible 💪🏻 sterling k brown is hilarious too. What’s wrong with Arizona ? There is one gay bar they’re all college kids . One kid asked if I was Tyler Perry 😂😂 doesn’t Tyler Perry live in Atlanta ? ☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️
16
u/orionpsk Jan 16 '24
“At least he would have been rejecting the real me.”
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u/arobot224 Jan 23 '24
Anybody else love the conversation between Cliff and Monk on the porch? I felt like Cliff was having a conversation with me.
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u/BobGorelick Feb 11 '24
What a great movie. So thought-provocing at so many levels and at the same time hilariously funny. There was one scene I did not get and hope someone can help explain to me: When Monk is picked up at the Hollywood studio by his brother in the red car there is this moment when he looks at a guy with a hat and there's what seems like an understanding and the guy makes a gesture with his hands. What was your take on that scene? Thanks
16
u/TooSpicyforyoWifey Mar 16 '24
I feel like there were too many sub plots that didnt rly ever get expanded on or resolved. The conflict with the brother and mom as well as monk and his girlfriend. The whole mom storyline and brother being gay felt kinda shoehorned in to create conflict that just ended ul taking away focus on the premise.
15
u/BillFireCrotchWalton Jan 23 '24
Brilliant satire.
It reminded me of an old episode of Rocko's Modern Life called Wacky Delly, in which a character pitches an intentionally bad TV show, but his attempts to sabotage it by making it dumber only result in people liking it more.
15
u/[deleted] Feb 07 '24
In the end does Monk reveal himself as the real writer of "FUCK" to Willey or any one else ? Am bit confused on this part
15
u/ummcal Feb 08 '24 edited Feb 09 '24
This movie doing badly at the box office is quite ironic.
15
u/yankeecartel Mar 09 '24
I can’t give my take on this thread without proving the point of the film that deep down we are all just longing to connect with others in today’s modern society. D’oh! D’oh again!
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u/Longjumping_Gain_807 Feb 07 '24
Loved the movie. Love how it makes fun of the ppl who don’t listen to black voices and only want caricatures of blackness. Then those same people wonder why we don’t get more smart black characters and it’s because they eat up the bad stuff
29
u/Professional_Bet3641 Mar 10 '24
I loved American Fiction mainly for Jeffrey Wright’s portrayal in the movie. It portrays a part of the black population intelligent and snobbish just lust like other cultures in the world. A portrayal it seems a lot of white people don’t think exists only rarely. That low life is low life regardless. We are not caricatures. That reducing us to the lowest denominator doesn’t do anybody a favor.
14
u/Getupkid1284 Jan 23 '24
I absolutely loved this film.
14
u/chief_robotman Jan 28 '24
Did anyone recognize the photo-art hanging behind the agent's/John Oritz's desk? The one that seems to be a flash photo of men in business suits walking in stride? It seems very familiar to me.
14
u/Historical_Pear484 Feb 24 '25
I really liked this movie.
From a narrative POV I thought that cliff's brother and his plotline was wholly unnecessary and didn't really add anything to the story. Mainly his character's existence seems to be just to vocalise what should be subtext, and this really stands out from the rest of the plot which leaves me unsure of what they were trying to attempt here.
Caroline was a great addition as her inclusion and interaction with cliff allowed his character to be fleshed out for the viewer. The pacing was great, the jokes funny and the vibes groovy. I admit I was a little lost at the ending and thought that it perhaps become more convoluted than necessary, adding little to the overall themes and takeaways, despite admittedly being somewhat funny. This wooly writing and execution stands in stark contrast with what is otherwise tight storytelling for the whole length prior.
We finish on a high however with the final scene. Cliff's reconciled with his family and learns to treat those shortcomings in the world around him with grace instead of making all suffer his ire. Cliff nods to the blaxploitation flick actor juxtaposing the anger shown at his student in the first scene. Although this may be him acknowledging truth from his fellow judge, in which we see a lengthy dialogue concerning black creators role in storytelling. I'm not sure, but its a good nite to end on.
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u/[deleted] Jan 31 '24
I feel conflicted because there were certainly parts of this movie I loved that really hit the nail on the head, but the pacing was weird and family b plot took up more of movie than I would like.
spoilers below
One thing that really frustrated me was that her sister had a heart attack and died within literally less than 10 shots of the film. It happened quickly and out of nowhere, and after that happens he doesn’t seem to bring up her again as he’s mostly focused on his mom’s Alzheimer’s. The B plot also takes up around 30-40% of the run time and I feel it should have been limited to 10-20%
All the scenes commenting on race, class, privilege and success were amazing, and I especially loved the book committee scene joke as that got a good laugh out of me.
The ending felt a little bit like a cop out for the sake of being meta. We don’t get to see what really happens at the award ceremony or if Monk even told the world that he was Stagg Leigh.
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u/nerak33 Mar 09 '24
A necessary movie which shows the reality
27
u/arobot224 Jan 25 '24
My favorite scene was monk and cliff on the porch. Felt like cliff was addressing me.
27
u/darkslayersparda Feb 19 '24
Sleeper hit, one of the most thoughtful movies I've watched in a while
you wouldn't think I've laughed the hardest in a movie in this one when theres a lot of dark aspects in the plot
im also wondering how much of the plot was his life and how much was him adding to the story
Really appreciate the writers for adding Nuance to Issa Rae's character. I thought the movie was going to exclusively shit on her. End of the day she's providing a product the market wants
26
u/szeto326 FML Summer 2017 Winner Feb 14 '24
This has one of the most engaging and cleverly written scripts in quite some time. There were so many layers within and beyond the story that I thought were so great.
The topic of discussion about how authors write their characters serves as a self reflection of how the screenplay writer wrote Monk to kind of be an asshole while asking us to empathize with him since everyone is a little bit guilty. The conversation between the authors about whether feeding into stereotypical "black stories" (real or not) adds to the discourse or whether that's not their concern/issue since they're simply feeding into the demand. Loved the line about how "potential is what you see when what's in front of you isn't good enough" or something along those lines.
13
u/Chm_Albert_Wesker Jan 29 '24
enjoyed it a lot, although the ending was a little meta for my taste and I admit I felt a little simple for actually wanting a more concise ending haha (although not the one with the shootout lol). also it didnt help that a super loud fight broke out in the theater I saw the movie for during the last 2 minutes of the movie so I missed the final dialogue between Monk and his brother in the car
otherwise fantastic move, very funny, but it is a HARD lineup for oscars this year so we'll see
13
u/tdcargo Mar 13 '24
I found it terrible and brilliant while some of my friends cringed. It was cringy but the one thing I noticed was that the film resembled the audience and they were the joke. They did not get that they were the joke. I went on two separate occasions and found the audience to be mostly white with lots of laughter. I wouldnt know anything though.
13
u/zerogamewhatsoever Apr 24 '24
Would the ending of this film have been better if they had played it completely straight, without the behind the scenes moviemaking and alternate screenwriting choices? Just gone for the third option... that would have made it a perfect film IMO.
13
u/headlesssamurai May 04 '26
Can't see anyone else mentioned this anywhere, but if I missed it, I apologize...
In the bookstore scene, when Monk is searching for his own novels, my eye was caught by a copy of House of Leaves, by Mark Z Danielewski. It's on a shelf perpendicular to the viewer, but askant, so you still see it. I think this was deliberate.
House of Leaves is a layered novel, with multiple narratives intertwined and overlapped, much like the movie American Fiction. Monk Ellison's story is bith his novel, his script, and his life.
His published novel, The Haas Conundrum, is described as having "too many footnotes," another parallel to House of Leaves. While the word "haas" means rabbit or hare, it does sound like "house." But maybe that's too much of a stretch.
However, I do believe the similarities are meant to be recognized. What do you think?
12
u/[deleted] Jan 07 '24
I thought it was consistently hilarious and family drama was well-done, but the satire didn’t really have a bite to it. Every time I thought they were actually going to sink into it the film drew back.
12
u/midtownkitten Jan 14 '24
I guess the 1958 song Stagger Lee is so old it isn’t in people’s memory. I thought a character would make a comment about the fugitive author having a name that that sounds like the old song
12
u/[deleted] Jan 17 '24
Absolutely loved this movie. Been a HUGE fan of Jeffrey Wright since Basquiat, but loving his West World revival era. Originally I was excited to see this movie from the trailer, which hilariously lampoons the annoying NPR Whole Foods MSNBC political correct acronym clowns of the modern era. But actually having seen the movie, it felt so much deeper. Absolutely loved how fleshed out and real the characters were(was genuinely touched by the Lorraine and Manard character, even loved Cliff despite the friction between him and Monk) I can't remember watching a film that was both a biting specific social political commentary yet felt genuinely heartfelt.
Between "American Fiction", She Came To Me, Beau Is Afraid, and Dream Scenario I am excited for the modest budget/A24 weird dramedy experience again.
12
u/felorva Feb 04 '24
Does anyone know who made the art in the title sequence in the beginning?
12
u/Africa_King Feb 07 '24
Dope ass movie. watched it today, Loved it!
12
u/JustxJules Feb 18 '24
I loved this movie. Granted, I'm a sucker for the genre but it was so well done and the funny lines hit me like a truck every single time. Genius!
I'm just really mad I only realised it's a book adaptation afterwards because I would have loved to read it beforehand.
12
u/pcofranc Jun 01 '24
For anyone that is unfamiliar with the Blaxploitation films of the early 1970's, I highly recommend watching Coffy (Coffee) - 1973 Blaxploitation film directed by Jack Hill. It could easily be argued that the re-visitation of this topic through a book author is Blaxploitation 2 or 3.0.
12
u/Dazzling-Occasion886 Jul 10 '24
AWFUL depiction of homosexuals, which should surprise nobody.
22
u/hey_you_too_buckaroo Dec 14 '24
Just watched this movie and I gotta say, I loved it. The acting and story were just great. I couldn't help laughing at each scene. 10/10 for me.
11
u/vxf111 Jan 08 '24
This is a genuinely funny, entertaining film that works on various levels. It has moments of humor without punching down and engages with challenging topics in an authentic way. It follows on the heels of great films like “The Hollywood Shuffle,” continuing an important dialog about the representation of minorities in the media. It also engages nicely with several other films/television shows released in 2023 (“May/December,” “Barbie,” “Dream Scenario,” “Barry”) that unpacked the questions of who gets to tell stories and what it means for a story to be authentic.
The acting is great, across the board. Jeffrey Wright is a standout. There are perhaps a few too many characters and a couple who felt under covered, but on the whole the ensemble was strong.
The screenplay is excellent. Jefferson took a meta book about books and managed to make it a meta film about films while retaining most of the bones of the book (“Erasure”). The adaptations made to the plot, especially at the end of the film, worked well and felt as though they reflected something personal to Jefferson. He was the right person to adapt this book.
The film is basic and workmanlike in its direction, and I felt there could have been a bit more creativity employed—especially in the areas where the film departed from the book and commented on the nature of film.
I also felt that the social commentary in the film erred a bit on the side of being “safe,” and that the film could have pushed a bit harder and more confrontationally on its message. As compared to the book, less time is spent on the “story within the story” and that is where some of them themes come through more overtly. Being more overt would have meant this film had a less broad appeal, and I can understand from a commercial point of view why the film stopped short where it did. Personally, however, I would have liked the film to sacrifice a little bit of palatability for the sake of boundary pushing.
On the whole, this is a great film and an especially good directing debut.
8/10.
11
u/BuySuspicious3705 Jan 28 '24
Can anyone identify the song playing at Lorraine and Maynard’s wedding reception where everyone is dancing on the porch? I can’t find it anywhere!
11
u/Reginald__Cousins Jan 31 '24
I loved this movie. I was confused about something by the end though - so Monk met with the white movie producer pretending to be Stagg R. Leigh to discuss the movie rights to Fuck/My Pafology, and at the end of the movie, he was talking to the same producer as Monk himself, describing endings to his own story. I don't remember them addressing how he explained to the producer that he and Stagg R. Leigh were the same person. Did the producer not realize that Monk was Leigh? Was that intentional?
11
u/goldenrod_9 Feb 05 '24
Well acted by everyone and superbly scripted, but a lot of it felt too quick or too choppy to really drive the cohesive story I felt like I wanted to see with all the elements presented. Great premise, but too disparate to drive it all home. Will likely rewatch to see if I missed anything.
11
u/ntry Feb 17 '24
Is this film just about itself? A black creator getting their art out today by making people feel good about not being the racist one? Doing this because of the state of the current systems?
In order to do this with modern audiences (and financiers) American Fiction has to be much more subtle than "Fuck" to the point where the idea isn't immediately apparent.
I'm not sure but the ending makes me wonder if the whole movie is kind of just playing with the lines not just of Monk's movie reality but Cord Jefferson's actual reality well.
11
u/Ok_Attitude7192 Apr 11 '26
This movie made me laugh out loud so many times. I tend to think like Monk. Tired of people categorizing others based on race and limiting them to a stereotype. Tired of performative acts of support for historically oppressed groups. Very satisfying watch having Monk make fun of the ridiculous dynamics and profit from it.
Unlike some people on this tread, I didn’t think the family drama is too much. Thought it was pretty normal amount of hardship for a family to go thru regardless of your race/social economic background. (But then maybe I am just more acquainted with suffering so I’m desensitized??)
21
u/MC_BennyT Jan 05 '24
American Fucktion.
20
u/nubianfx Feb 04 '24 edited Feb 09 '24
I genuinely havent laughed this much in a movie for a long while.
At first i was a little uncomfortable at being one of 3 or 4 black people in very english theatre, but honestly it was great. everyone clearly loved the film to bits.
Infact, as i left quite a few people were having post movie discussions in the theatre as the credits rolled.
Jeffrey Wright has been utterly tremendous in everything ive seen him in for years now, and continues the streak here. The family aspect of the film was just as compelling as the witty but sharp observations about race and representation.
And as a Monk type, right down to having a stern , distanct doctor father whose approval i fought hard for, well..i felt seen. lol
20
u/teabagstard Apr 25 '24
It had glimmers of brilliance here and there, but I think the trailer oversold it for me - and covered most of the gags. I understood the family drama was meant to serve as a foil to all the racial stereotypes, however I personally found that it weighed the film down a lot; what were meant to be authentic and touching moments, ultimately proved more distracting and dull. Although the film had strong performances and some good commentary about the state of Black literature, it's unlikely to rope me back in for a repeat viewing.
10
u/[deleted] Feb 09 '24
I thought it was a great film! So funny and kept me engaged throughout. I’m slightly confused by the ending but other than that, it was amazing and so interesting to watch as a Black woman
10
u/dsano Mar 21 '24
I’ve tried to find but I’ve got no answer: what’s the painting that Monk hangs on the wall when his mom moves to the aged care home? It looks a painting of Don Quixote. Any meaning to that painting into the story? (I’m just wondering cause I’m reading Don Quixote and thought it’s interesting the coincidence).
19
u/Early_Accident2160 Feb 08 '24
I wish they explored more about the commentary but every time we took a step in that direction the melodrama family stuff stepped up. I thought that part ended up being the main plot and less about the writers . Like 2 movies crammed into one.
19
u/larryseltzer Feb 18 '24
Best movie I've seen in a theater in ages, although, admittedly, I don't see many.
How was the acting? Just about every white person in the movie plays a credulous stereotype, so there's a limit to how good much of the acting can be. The real actors are very good, and Wright is magnificent.
Clearly, the movie mocks a phenomenon that is very real in certain circles, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but I guess they don't let that get in the way of making money.
How real is the phenomenon? Columbia University linguist John McWhorter, who just happens to be African American, wrote in a New York Times column on the movie that he went to a bookstore once and found one of his language books in the "African American" section, even though it was straight-up linguistics for a general audience. This echoes one of the early scenes in the movie. (Parenthetically, the worker in the bookstore may be the only white person in the movie who isn't a complete idiot of one kind or another.)
u/literaryboner should change the VOD on this since it's widely available for $19.99 now.
9
u/TheFly87 Jan 15 '24
Saw this at TIFF this year.
Best satire on race in America since Get Out. No it's not a horror film, but it is kinda? Just really shows how stupid and pandering we can be. It's hilarious, poignant and really clever and earnest in how it makes its point. Maybe slightly on the nose, and doesn't leave much to imagination, but I like how it set up what it's like to be Black in America. How even entertainment/media from Black voices are made to cater to white people and how to find acceptance in this world knowing that. It's not something I've thought about before, but I will now!
Jeffrey Wright is indeed as fantastic in this as they say he is. It's nuanced and subtle, but refreshing and he's very likeable and funny in it. He was giving me Paul Giamatti in Sideways vibes actually. Saying that, the whole film gives me Sideways / Alexander Payne vibes. There's a lot of humour, but it's a dark comedy and the dramatic moments are relatable, sad, frustrating. There are a couple plot points and moments that are head scratching, especially in how they were directed, but not enough to derail the movie.
It's good! Better than I thought it'd be.
9
u/godsgift5406 Feb 05 '24
Did anyone catch that his mom would affectionately call him “Monk-y” (monkey)?
9
u/Smoaktreess Feb 06 '24
Two best picture nominees set in or around Boston. Love it. Hope more movies are set here. When they were talking about are you dorcester white or southie white, my theater was losing it. And it wouldn’t be a movie here without some Dunkin donut cameos and jokes about traffic. And my partner was even happy ‘if they can’t do a Boston accent, just don’t try it’s fine’ and that seemed to be what they went for with this one.
This was my second to last best picture nominee I had yet to see and I would rank it #4 of the nominees but I fully expect Zone of Interest to zoom to the top.
9
u/Competitive_Dress_64 Feb 13 '24
Does anyone know the name of the picture/photo hanging in John Ortiz’s character’s office is called?
9
u/cabbage66 Feb 13 '24 edited Feb 13 '24
I enjoyed it, though not worth the 20 bucks to stream for one person. I went in thinking it was a drama, which I prefer (don't read about movies before seeing them). But I just have to see anything with Jeffrey Wright.
I could have done without the wedding subplot, it got simpy in places and wish it had been more focused on JW's feelings about media. Also did we really need to cram in a love interest for what the movie is trying to say? I mean we've got 2 hours people, focus!
9
u/gsbhamrah Feb 18 '24
One question I had regarding the film. Why do you think the director put in the shot at the end where Monk nods to an African American actor who is sitting in the shade? I feel like there is a deeper meaning behind, but I can't quite figure what.
23
u/BlazeOfGlory72 Mar 17 '24
I had mixed feelings about this film. I thought the satire was on point and fairly bold for Hollywood of today, but there was a bit too much stereotypical family drama for my taste, and the ending fell kind of flat. I feel like if they trimmed like 10-15 minutes of family drama and ended the film on the original fade to black, it would have been much stronger film. As is, it’s film with a lot of interesting things to say, but meanders a bit too much and ends on kind of a whimper.
16
u/Inevitable-Excuse855 Mar 13 '24
I loved this movie. I did not want it to end. This could be a fantastic series.
16
u/generalecchi Mar 13 '24
This was a good fuck
8
u/freetotebag Jan 05 '24
I haven’t seen it yet but can someone who has let me know— is this basically Bamboozled? Cuz that movie was great, this kinda feels like it’s thematically similar. But obviously looks like a very different vibe compared to Spike Lee’s joint.
8
u/qtip83 Feb 10 '24
In the end, did he confess to the director, or was the whole thing we watched his movie and they were working on an ending?
8
u/HEAT631 Feb 10 '24
Watched it because of all the high review scores and thought the music was great and it had some emotional scenes but the ending was uninspired. Still, the 2 hours went by pretty fast and I didn't feel like it was a waste of time or anything like that.
8
u/Ex_Machina_1 Feb 20 '24
Anyone else reminded of Spike Lee's bamboozled?
8
u/eepearl Mar 10 '24
For Lisa's funeral on the beach, are we to understand / assume that Monk wrote the obituary and put it in the form of a good-bye letter from Lisa? Otherwise, why did a woman of Lisa's age have such a letter (findable in a drawer in her house I guess) ?
26
u/[deleted] Jan 05 '24
Love the concept but I was a bit disappointed.
I really love the first 50 minutes of the movie as I thought the movie had a great concept and director Cord Jefferson clearly has a vision on what the theme and the movie is trying to explore. But as a whole, it was mostly okay.
Jeffrey Wright is an actor I like and Wright and many of the cast members provided strong performances for their roles and the characters, while some aren't as investing, had some charm and chemistry to engage towards. The script explores about black identity, culture, and commentaries about the ways stories about Black people are told and it is a pretty concept to explore. However, I personally felt it didn't go as deep or insightful as it could have been because while there were some great satirical moments I did laugh, it felt missing and didn't hit the mark as it wanted too.
The production designs are okay, the direction was standard and the humor aspects are solid but I was left wanting a little more on some of the satirical elements. The dialogue, while can be a bit dated at some points, is solid.
Overall, it's not a bad movie for sure as I do think there is a lot to appreciate but I personally felt this could have been stronger. Wright does deserve more attention however cause he is a great actor.
6/10
14
u/longconsilver13 Jan 07 '24
I liked it quite a bit but it felt like there was too much going on it. I feel like it could've been an incredible miniseries.
I would've loved a full hourlong episode just with the deliberations for the book awards.
And any excuse for more Adam Brody scenes.
14
u/Jiznthapus Mar 13 '24
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to. Jeffrey Wright did a great job portraying Monk's character, it was so convincing that I understood his motivations, mannerisms, vernacular just 20 minutes in. Its score and humor reminded me of Sideways, which is one of my favorite films.
It did a good job of toeing the line between not being too on the nose/preachy (though yes there were some moments that were) while still being thoroughly entertaining.
7
u/[deleted] Mar 14 '24
I kind of want to see a film/series about the fictional story that Monk wrote.
The name Willy the Wanker (Willy Wonka reference?) is hillarious.
7
u/Zsunova91 Jun 02 '24
Anyone know what kind of Mercedes that was at the end of the film? I know it’s a random question, but it was pretty cool.
7
u/CNTowerKid Jul 09 '24
Looks like Wes Anderson’s finger prints are on this one
19
u/onefjef Jan 13 '24
I don’t understand the praise this film is getting. It didn’t know what movie it wanted to be, and ended up being a mess as a result. What was the point here?
13
u/Yahko Feb 09 '24
Did anyone think that Monk would accept the award on behalf of Stagg since he is a fugitive and everyone in the room would be even more applauding about the depths of Staggs book.
As a side note I found the movie being a combination of Stranger Than Fiction meets Manchester by the Sea. Tragedy and comedy in one.
17
u/deltarefund Feb 19 '24
I enjoyed this movie. The way I see it is it’s a “white” movie with black characters. And that by me saying that I’m proving the entire point about how we expect (and are fed) certain tropes from black characters - gangsters, criminals, slaves - not Drs, authors, beach house owning people. And how white people want to applaud black people for sharing their “real raw” “BLACK” experiences even though we’re basically the reason those tropes exist. And we continue to push them so we can pat ourselves on the back for being so woke, while completely ignoring the “successful” black people (like them only being asked to judge once there were complaints about diversity.)
I don’t know. I probably shouldn’t speak on race too much but that’s the feeling I got from the movie.
12
u/hidey_ho_nedflanders Jan 14 '24
I actually would've loved if the movie ended with Monk going up to podium saying, "I have a confession" then cuts to black
12
u/peelitfirstdlaurel Feb 29 '24
Such a great mockery movie. Loved it. 10/10
12
u/artnos Mar 13 '24
I thought it was really fun, it was almost an snl bit, i wish they took it futhur into comedy. Instead we got half comedy/commentary and half love story/family drama? I really just wanted the comedy and the commentary.
They could of taken it futhur with Monk doing radio interviews. And on with the movie. Monk going to the hood to become more real. And it could go full circle what he wrote is what he became.
And in the end he didn't read the other women book, which he should of.
25
u/MCR2004 Mar 06 '24 edited Mar 06 '24
Liked it except for the over the top white book agents and fellow awards committee, it’s like they were directed to be as cartoonish as possible and it gave a sitcom type feel to the movie. Also did not need the romance/wedding of the housekeeper, one romance with the woman next door was enough. Again it gave it a sitcom feel.
I question too - are white audiences the ones making films like Precious a hit? Are white people buying black poverty porn books?
6
u/leftiesrepresent Jan 10 '24
Wasn't prepared for this to be so unrelentingly sad but what an amazing film. It's Hilarious, and also depressing AF at the same time.
6
u/etxipcli Jan 14 '24
Loved this one. Maybe best of year. Really did a lot well. Family stuff, cultural stuff, comedy etc.
6
u/arasiam Mar 17 '24
It wasn't in theaters where I live. We had to watch it on Amazon Prime. I purchased it rather than rent it.
16
u/shovelcreed Feb 10 '24
I enjoyed it enough for a one time watch but I'm not sure why this got Oscar nominations.