My Review of "American Fiction"

American Fiction is a very clever comedy that came out in 2023. I didn't get to see it until recently because my area of the world finally smartened up and put it in theatres. There's been a lot of buzz about this movie but I wasn't sure what I was going to get myself into. With this day in age of big action and big bombastic situations it's nice to have a little change of pace once in a while.

The movie starts off with our main character Thelonious also known as Monk. I guess his family was really into Jazz. Monk is a professor at a school and he's really fed up with the world in general. He doesn't like the fact that we're too sensitive to talk about real issues and the simplification of information. He envisions the world to expand their minds and not stereotype and marginalize everything into compartments.

As a black writer he lives this everyday. He's expected to write a certain way but artistically he's on another scale. The problem is that what he likes to do isn't marketable. Only a certain few people will buy his books because they understand and appreciate it.

Monk's anger and intolerance has blown up in one of his classes and he is forced to step down from his position because students are becoming offended by his actions. On his break he's to go visit his family in Boston. There he will have to reflect on himself and figure out what he will do next for his career.

When he meets his family in Boston the movie just blows up into a colorful, warm setting. He can't see it but his family is great. We learn new things about him and his family's tumultuous past and present. I love his family and feel like I can relate to all of the things happening in his life.

It's a time of transition in his family. His mother has dementia, his sister recently got divorced, his brother has recently come out of the closet and their family maid is moving on with her life. This could have been the movie and it would have been fine but they added the element of his career and his beliefs.

With his mother suffering from dementia their family is in financial hardship. There's really no way they can keep up the lifestyle that they have anymore. Frustrated with the state of literacy and social expectations, Monk writes a satirical book that panders to all Black stereotypes. Somehow the book industry eats this up and it's the first time publishers are in demand for his writing. Embarrassed of the content he wrote he used a pseudonym.

Suddenly everyone wants a piece of this fake author and he hates it. As much as he hates this lie, it's also paying him quite handsomely. He needs this money to pay the bills. There's really no choice but to play along but the lies get bigger and bigger and the comedy really takes off from there.

Monk's lies are so funny because we all know that elitist person around us that would react the same way as Monk does. In fact all of the characters are so well fleshed out that they feel so real and genuine. The movie does a good job in playing on this topic of authenticity. Monk is more successful when he's not authentic but yet we always tell everyone we want their true selves.

There's also a lot of comedy in the reflection of ourselves in society. We generally live in a time when we don't take the time to really sit down and reflect on things. We don't take the time to read things entirely or see things through. Many of us rather take simple notes of things and base our understandings on these. This movie definitely makes fun of many of our new world realities.

Most often we talk about things that we love and the media always encourages everyone to be their true selves. Is this really what sells? How do you make a living if your true self isn't something that is marketable? This movie tells us that sometimes you have to do what you have to do to make a living despite the fact it goes against your beliefs.

It also explores very interesting personalities. Everyone in this movie is multi-faceted. They have so much to their characters. You can understand the debates into their heads when they're making decisions. We understand each of their dilemmas and the frustration that comes in making their decisions.

Overall, I had a fantastic time with this movie. The escalation of the lies and the intrigue of the family dynamics had me at the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to see more. This movie was entertaining from start to finish and I hope more movies like this become popular. We need more and the only way to get more is by supporting it just like the movie says. I have to give this one a 9 out of 10. Very entertaining and highly recommended.