To write: “I loved this movie” would be an understatement. Unlike many, I haven’t seen the (often criticised) trailers that “sold” some people a different movie. I have heard some things about it and then watched Cord Jefferson winning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, but unfortunately, I didn’t catch it until a few weeks after that. When I sat down to finally watch it, I had some expectations (due to the Oscar win), and honestly, they were not only met, they were exceeded. American Fiction is a layered and smart film that isn’t afraid to show you and not spell everything out for you.

This movie tackles one of the biggest “hot topics” people talk about nowadays – representation, especially “black stories”. But it goes about it differently than you might expect, and that’s something I adored. American Fiction is self-aware but never strays from what it wants to say. The movie’s message (at least how I understood it) is that there are no “black stories” but rather stories with black people from all different creeds and backgrounds. Therefore, it is wrong and ignorant to try and lump them together based on the skin colour of the author. The perfect example is the bookshop scene, where Jeffrey Wright finds his book in the section “African-American Studies” and he says to the assistant: “The blackest thing about this book is the ink.” But since he is a professor, writer and Black person, his book goes under that section, no questions asked.

The main thing about American Fiction is the sentiment this film brilliantly displays, how in America, the general society has been so integrated that these stereotypes (although some might come from good places) are and can be hurtful. Are there still racial issues in America, or the world, for that matter? Yes, you bet, neither I nor this film says: “We’ve done it, everybody! Racism has been solved!” But the more nuanced point this movie makes is how when you focus on race a bit too much, more often than not, you let some other biases associated with that race step in and then make (many times questionable) decisions based on those. As a white man, I never understood when people spoke about “black stories”. Again, what might have started from a good place quickly turned into trying to simplify and lump ALL black people into one group. And no group is a monolith.

That is why I loved how this movie didn’t get caught in this trap and was split between our protagonist writing his “masterpiece” whilst pretending to be this “street criminal”, but the more we spend on him, his family and the complex relationship he had with everyone. That is when the brilliance of this movie is on display as we get the truly complex story of one family that kinda (?) gets along, but there are many issues. It would be so easy to stick with the book part of this movie and make fun of how white people just want to be absolved rather than appreciate art made by black people, and there are scenes of that nature. However, the movie understands that this could quickly become a bit self-indulgent; therefore, we spend more time exploring this generational trauma and real characters within this family unit. Not one person is good or bad; they are just people.

I have already mentioned Jeffrey Wright, and I couldn’t be happier when he got his first Oscar nomination for this movie. Ever since I saw him on Boardwalk Empire (2010 – 2014), I have been a big fan, and I always knew the day would come when he would get noticed by the Academy. I hope it won’t stay with just this one time. He has been a remarkable actor, and every time I see his name attached to a movie, I know he will deliver. Sterling K. Brown portrays his brother, who has some issues, and Sterling is another one of those actors who seems to be having a moment where he seems to be everywhere. I also couldn’t be happier because, just like Jeffrey, he always brings a level of quality to any movie. I want to give a special shout-out to Erika Alexander, who portrays the love interest, but she is so much more because the movie/script allows her to be much more. I also loved how this movie dealt with their relationship. Without getting into spoilers, I thought everything about it felt realistic and correct.

Where the movie got me was the plotline with Issa Rae and her book “We’s Lives in Da Ghetto”. In another clever twist, you never know where Issa’s character stands; all you can see is Thelonious’ hate for that book. As he learns more about Issa’s character Sintara, he starts questioning himself, leading to a confrontation between these two authors. That scene was brilliant and underlined how nuanced this movie is and how we all, Black people included, have our biases towards others. But it’s only when you speak to other people and get their point of view that you realise that there are only a few things that are “black or white”. Many things, issues, and people, whether white, black or purple, are different shades of grey, and, most importantly, come from various backgrounds, live diverse lives and therefore have different experiences. And just because you have not had that experience, it doesn’t make them any less valid.

I hope American Fiction becomes a classic because we can always use a clever, subversive movie about a complex subject. Cord Jefferson wrote and directed this movie, and I know this will be hard for him to top, but I can’t wait to see what he does next. I hope his Oscar win will help me secure future funding for whatever he wants to do; I will be there. His Oscar speech, by the way, about giving young and new people a chance and making movies for less money, should be carved in stone.

Overall, American Fiction is an excellent movie that surprised me in every aspect. I didn’t even know what I expected, but I got much more than I could ever ask for. This movie highlighted important things, some actors that were long overdue for exposure, and it will, hopefully, be remembered for years to come. On top of all that, this movie is genuinely hilarious, and that is one of the many reasons it never felt preachy, and the almost two-hour runtime just flew by. American Fiction is one of the best movies of 2023 by far.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke