American Fiction

Great art is transcendent: it moves beyond the specifics of its creation and resonates universally. “American Fiction,” the debut film from director-screenwriter Cord Jefferson, is great art. Borne from strife and frustration, the film works - subtly and assuredly - on two levels: as a heartfelt study of a fractured family and as a coarse satire of race and good ole American consumerism. Thelonius “Monk” Ellison (in a brilliantly understated performance by Jeffrey Wright) is a son and brother struggling to maintain meaningful connections with his mother (an amazing Leslie Uggams - still at it at 80!) and siblings (the delightful Tracee Ellis Ross and the always solid Sterling K Brown, playing wildly against type while leaning into comic stereotype). Monk is also a struggling writer, annoyed that his mythological novels get labeled as “African-American Studies” because he is black and offended by writers who pander to the lowest common denominator. In a moment of irritation, Monk pens one of those “lowest common denominator” novels using the pseudonym Stagg R. Lee. Inexplicably, the novel - first known as “My Pafology” and later retitled “F&ck” - becomes a bestseller, gets shortlisted for a literary prize, and gets optioned by Hollywood. If your response is like mine, you’ll be moved by the family story and amused by the satire - and both will reverberate with our various realities. “American Fiction” won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Score.