“American Fiction” (2023)
“The dumber I behave, the richer I get”.
Directed by Cord Jefferson in his big screen cinematic debut and based upon the 2001 book “Erasure” by Percival Everett, our American hero and indeed fiction writer is fully introduced before the first strains of a bubbling musical soundtrack from Laura Karpman and opening credits so reminiscent of a film that I couldn’t help but keeping harking back to time and time again throughout the 117 minute run-time.
That film was 2004’s “Sideways” (directed by Alexander Payne) and whilst the story itself differs greatly, you have a singular fiction writing narrator here in the guise of “Dr Thelonious Ellison” (Jeffrey Wright) who is as cantankerous, frustrated and somewhat at odds with life as his counterpart “Miles” (Paul Giamatti) in the Alexander Payne directed classic from two decades ago. More commonly and simply known as “Monk”, Wright’s character here is far more successful than Miles in the 2004 film I will now no longer reference, and even before those bright and bouncy opening credits he’s being forcibly persuaded to take a “break” from his university position and before long his life unravels as he becomes somewhat of a father figure to a sister “Dr Lisa Ellison” (Tracee Elliss Ross) he desperately misses, a brother “Dr Clifford Ellison” (Sterling K Brown) he fails to understand and heartbreakingly, a mother “Agnes Ellison” (Leslie Uggams) struggling with Alzheimer’s disease. There may be love in the air with neighbour “Coraline” (Erika Alexander) but Monk is distracted at every turn and especially so the success of fellow writer “Sintara Golden” (Issa Rae) who he sees as writing trashy, stereotypical representations of black life in America and resolves, in abject frustration, to write his own.
“My Pafology” (sic) is written under a pseudonym and whilst Monk’s life is spinning out of control all around him, he becomes an overnight hit with huge advance publishing offers coming his way so he does what any self-respecting and angry writer would do with such trash, he demands the title be changed to “Fuck” and the run-away literary success becomes ever more successful.
With both nominations and wins at any and every film festival you care to name around the world, first time director Cord Jefferson has seemingly struck a pun intended chord the world over to triumph at the two most prestigious awards ceremonies of them all to walk away with the “Best Adapted Screenplay” gong at both the BAFTA’s and the Oscars in early 2024.
“American Fiction” gained a further 4 Oscar nominations in 2024 (Best Picture, Best Actor — Jeffrey Wright, Best Supporting Actor — Sterling K Brown and Best Original Score — Laura Karpman) and whilst not adding to the director’s Golden Statuette for his screenplay, his debut directorial cinematic creation comes highly recommended.
Thanks for reading. Here are three examples of over 300 more individual articles contained within my “Film” library of well over 600 films given the spoiler free treatment:
