The first time I originally heard of the film American Fiction was from a trailer in the theaters showing the small premise of the story. I remember the trailer leaving me with a smile from the few jokes told. Towards the end of January, my mom suggested we go to the theaters to watch American Fiction. I had forgotten about the movie up till this point, and my curiosity was high as I knew little about this film besides the trailer I had seen a few months before.
I left the theater having highly enjoyed the movie. It was a great movie to start 2024 with. The film focuses on Monk (Jeffery Wright), a struggling author who believes his novels are not stereotypical enough or “Black” enough to become popular. So, he creates an offensive novel to poke fun at the stereotypes within the publishing industry; however, it bites Monk back as it surprisingly becomes a popular hit to his dismay. After his sister Lisa’s (Tracee Ellis Ross) recent death, Monk has taken the role of taking care of his mother (Leslie Uggams) while also dealing with his brother Clifford’s (Sterling K. Brown) antics. Monk also later comes to meet his love interest, Coraline (Erika Alexander).
This film’s biggest achievement was its sense of humor, as it had witty, dry, dark, satirical, and stereotypical jokes that were fitting to every character, specifically Monk’s. The cast did a great job making each character distinct and memorable; from the main characters to the side characters that had little screen time but helped drive the plot. My favorite thing about the film was how they used humor to create social commentary about stereotyping people in the media, pleasing investors, and understanding the viewpoint of the same race with different opinions or eyesights to what is right and wrong. It also brought in lessons on the importance of getting to know your family and letting the people who care about you close. I believe this film did a great job creating a message through complex written characters and satirical humor to express the flaws of humanity’s point of view regarding what is right, what is appropriate, and what is something the viewers would want to see.
This film is a limited-release showing, so if you’re interested in watching this hilarious film, you can watch it at theaters close to campus, such as Cinemark Tinseltown at 6001 N Martin Luther King Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73111, where I watched it from. This is a film that’s fun to watch in theaters and will leave a memorable impression.
Photo by Myke Simon on Unsplash