Thelonious “Monk” Ellison's writing career has stalled because his work isn’t deemed “Black enough.” Monk, a writer and English professor, writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aimi...
Some films seem destined to encourage debate, and “American Fiction” is going to result in a lot of it. This is the type of project that is challenging and confrontational, yet will also appeal to a broad, diverse crowd. I’m torn on it overall, but director Cord Jefferson‘s adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure certainly has a lot of interesting and provocative things to say.
Frustrated professor and novelist Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) is fed up. He’s had enough of the establishment, especially the literary market that makes money off works that lean on the same old tired African-American tropes. Refusing to write about black misery, Monk’s latest book is being dismissed by publishers for not being “black enough.” When he learns that fellow author Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) has a new best seller with her stereotype-heavy (and borderline offensive) novel We’s Lives in Da Ghetto, Monk has had enough. To make a point, he uses the pen name Stagg R. Leigh to write an outlandish book of his own, determined to include every black cliché he can fit on the page. His intentions backfire when the parody novel becomes a runaway best seller, with studios clamoring for the movie rights.
There is a lot going on in Jefferson’s film, which is packed with intellectualism, identity politics, and audacious satire that’s uncomfortable by design. It’s an exploration of a writer’s struggle with his own integrity and what happens when art becomes a commodity. The hot-button issue at hand is the very idea of representation in pop culture, from the big moneymakers that are highly commercialized to the diversity check boxes that seem like an unspoken requirement in present day books, films, and television. Yes, representation matters. But what happens when the portrayal of different races is more problematic than inclusive?
The film tackles the portrayal of blackness by mainstream America, including the popularity of certain cultural stereotypes that are voraciously consumed by the general public. By skewering the very ideas of diversity and identity, Jefferson presents a heavy issue in a non-confrontational way, making it easier to swallow. It’s not to say that everyone is a racist, but it’s a thought-provoking topic that begs for further discussion.
What’s so interesting about this film is that it’s part social satire and part family drama, but Jefferson never quite finds the right balance. The detailed story has heartfelt elements of brotherhood and family, including glimpses of Monk’s relationship with his older sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), his recently out and proud brother Clifford (Sterling K. Brown), his mother Agnes (Leslie Uggams), who is suffering from dementia, and her caregiver Lorraine (Myra Lucretia Taylor). While Monk is richly developed, the supporting characters around him are not. As a result, their parts of the story sometimes feel out of place. By trying to say too much, the film loses its edge during the last third, which unfortunately dilutes its most powerful message.
“American Fiction” is a quality movie, but it also feels like the type of film that people will pretend to like a whole lot more than they actually do.
