American Fiction is a 2023 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cord Jefferson in his feature directorial debut. Based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, it follows a frustrated novelist-professor who writes an outlandish satire of stereotypical "Black" books, only for it to be mistaken for serious literature and published to high sales and critical praise. It stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody and Keith David.
It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, where it won the People's Choice Award. It received a limited theatrical release by Amazon MGM Studios on December 15, 2023, with an expansion on December 22, 2023.
It grossed $23 million and received numerous accolades. It was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the American Film Institute. It also received five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Wright; with Jefferson winning Best Adapted Screenplay.
Plot[]
Thelonious "Monk" Ellison is a highly intelligent African-American upper-class writer and professor in Los Angeles. While his novels receive academic praise, they sell poorly, and publishers reject his latest manuscript for not being "Black enough". His university places him on temporary leave due to his brashness with students over racial issues and suggests he attend a literary seminar and spend time with family in his hometown of Boston. At the seminar, his panel is poorly attended, in contrast to a packed room for an interview with Sintara Golden, whose bestselling novel We's Lives in Da Ghetto panders to Black stereotypes.
In Boston, Monk has dinner with his mother Agnes, who has Alzheimer's disease, and sister Lisa, a physician. While having drinks with Monk, Lisa suffers a fatal heart attack. Their estranged brother, Cliff, a plastic surgeon, attends Lisa's funeral. Cliff is divorced after his wife caught him having sex with a man; he now engages in frequent drug use and casual sex. Monk meets and starts dating Coraline, a lawyer living across the street from his mother's beach house.
Frustrated by Sintara's success and the costs of care for his mother, Monk writes My Pafology, a satirical novel mocking the literary stereotypes expected from Black writers: melodramatic plots, deadbeat dads, gang violence, and drugs. After submitting it to publishers out of contempt, he is shocked to be offered a $750,000 advance, and his agent Arthur convinces him to adopt the persona of convict on the run "Stagg R. Leigh". As "Stagg", Monk is offered a movie deal from a producer, Wiley. In response to publishing executives' insulting comments, Monk tries to sabotage the deal by demanding the title be changed to Fuck; the executives agree. Monk is invited to help judge the New England Book Association's Literary Award as part of a "diversity push", and he reluctantly accepts. A fellow judge is Sintara, and Monk learns that she shares many of his views.
Agnes moves into an expensive assisted-living facility, but adapts poorly. Cliff briefly returns to Boston, but leaves after Agnes makes a homophobic remark. Fuckbecomes a bestseller. Coraline, Cliff, and the public remain unaware that "Stagg" is Monk, and the FBI contacts the publisher, believing Stagg is a fugitive, as he claimed in interviews.
Monk's publisher submits Fuck for the Literary Award, forcing him to judge his own novel. Monk learns that Coraline enjoyed reading Fuck; they argue and break up. The panel's white judges rave over Fuck, though Sintara calls it "pandering". Monk agrees, but later argues that Sintara's book is "trauma porn" and inauthentic to her African-American middle-class background. Sintara argues that she researched her book by interviewing voiceless people, was "giving the market what it wants", and that it is not her fault if white readers formed stereotypes from her book.
On family housekeeper Lorraine's wedding day, Monk finds Cliff living in Agnes's beach house with two other men, but Lorraine is happy to have him attend the wedding. At the reception, Monk and Cliff discuss the impact of their father's suicide, and Cliff encourages Monk to let people "love all of him".
At the awards ceremony, Fuck is announced as the winner. Monk goes onstage and says he has a confession to make. The film cuts to black, and the events shown are revealed to have been Monk's screenplay based on his experiences, written for Wiley's production company as an alternative to the Fuck film adaptation. Monk has not revealed his identity to the public and is still separated from Coraline. Wiley likes the screenplay but asks Monk to change the ambiguous ending.
Monk proposes an ending with him running away from the ceremony to apologize to Coraline, but Wiley says it feels too much like a romantic comedy. Monk then suggests one where police, believing Monk to be a wanted criminal holding a gun, fatally shoot himat the ceremony. Much to Monk's dismay, Wiley, who is also filming a blaxploitation film called Plantation Annihilation, loves it, and the film moves into production. Monk drives away with Cliff after he and one of Wiley's actors, playing a slave, acknowledge each other.
Cast[]
- Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Thelonious "Monk" Ellison
- Tracee Ellis Ross as Dr. Lisa Ellison
- Issa Rae as Sintara Golden
- Sterling K. Brown as Dr. Clifford "Cliff" Ellison
- John Ortiz as Arthur
- Erika Alexander as Coraline
- Leslie Uggams as Agnes Ellison
- Adam Brody as Wiley Valdespino
- Keith David as Willy the Wonker
- Okieriete Onaodowan as Van Go Jenkins
- Myra Lucretia Taylor as Lorraine
- Raymond Anthony Thomas as Maynard
- Miriam Shor as Paula Baderman
- Michael Cyril Creighton as John Bosco
- Patrick Fischler as Mandel
- Neal Lerner as Wilson Harnet
- J. C. MacKenzie as Carl Brunt
- Jenn Harris as Aileen Hoover
- Bates Wilder as Jon Daniel Sigmarsen
- Ryan Richard Doyle as Ned
- Skyler Wright as Brittany
Production[]
On November 10, 2022, it was reported that Jeffrey Wright was cast in the untitled film, based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett. Cord Jefferson would adapt the novel and direct in his directorial debut.[5][6] T-Street Productions and MRC Film are producing the film. On December 2, 2022, it was announced that Tracee Ellis Ross will also star in film with Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Sterling K. Brown, Myra Lucretia Taylor, John Ortiz, Issa Rae, and Adam Brody also cast.[7] The film wrapped production in Boston in early December, with COVID-19 safety precautions used on set.[8] That month, MGM's Orion Pictures acquired the film's worldwide distribution rights.[9] In July 2023, with the announcement of its world premiere, the film's title was reported to be American Fiction.[10] It is the first film from Orion to be distributed through Amazon MGM Studios Distribution.[11]
Release[]
American Fiction premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2023, where it won the People's Choice Award.[12][13] This was followed by a run in the festival circuit, culminating in its United States premiere at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles on December 5, 2023.[14] It had a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 15, 2023, with an expansion the following week (December 22, 2023).[15] The film was initially set for a November 3, 2023 release date before changing to its current date.[16] The film was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Curzon Film on February 2, 2024.[17]
The film was released for digital platforms on February 6, 2024.[18]
Reception[]
Box office[]
As of March 13, 2024[update], American Fiction has grossed $21.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $1.9 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $23 million.[3][4]
The film made $229,000 from seven theaters in its opening weekend, a per-venue average of $32,400.[19] Following its five Oscar nominations, the film expanded from 852 theaters to 1,702 in its 7th week of release and made $2.9 million, an increase of 65% from the previous weekend, and a running total of $11.8 million.[20] The following weekend it made $2.4 million.[21]
Critical response[]
Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93% approval rating from 282 critics, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The Critic's Consensus reads, "Jeffrey Wright and American Fiction will forever be inextricable thanks to the actor's committed approach to the pointedly humorous and insightful material."[22] Template:Metacritic film prose Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film a 90% positive score, with 83% saying they would definitely recommend it.[19]
In her review for The Hollywood Reporter, Lovia Gyarke wrote that "American Fiction is smart and, thanks to its fine cast, has genuine heart", commending Wright's "subtle physicality … that contributes depth to his character", as well as "Uggams' increasingly somber performance as Agnes and Brown’s delightful comedic turn".[23] Peter Debruge for Variety, applauded Jefferson's writing prowess, likening him to Flannery O’Connor and Toni Morrison, whose works were both referenced in the film. To Deburge, Jefferson "trusts his audience to bring themselves to the material", which is "what makes reading "American Fiction" so rewarding."[24] Peyton Robinson writing for RogerEbert.com highlighted Jefferson's writing as the key takeaway from this film, stating that his "attentive lens" to the film's "concept and themes is what will be remembered". Robinson goes on to identify the distinguishable legacy within the script, emphasizing Jefferson's "sharply pointed finger at the many institutional factors that keep [Black art], and its creators, restrained."[25]
Sarah Lyall of The New York Times covered Jeffrey Wright in a feature about his career and his role in American Fiction, claiming that Wright's "exquisitely calibrated" performance demonstrates "[Wright's] ability to elevate any movie or TV show simply by appearing in it." Lyall goes on to celebrate that Wright "has a way of burrowing so deeply into his characters that he seems almost to be hiding in plain sight."[26] Stephanie Zacharek at Time magazine also highlighted the lead star's performance, admiring that "Wright brings it all to life". Zacharek notes that Wright does so "not with thunderous, statement-making gestures, but with small ones that remind us how vulnerable Monk is", even amidst the protagonist's "own raging intelligence".[27]
Filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood praised writer-director Cord Jefferson, stating that an artist's first work should tell the world who they are and Jefferson "has screamed into a bullhorn. Bold, chaotic, unflinching, personal. Cord has channeled his creative truths into a searing indictment of biased norms."[28]
Video[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ American Fiction (15) (November 9, 2023).
- ↑ Salisbury, Mark (December 26, 2023). How a 'huge professional failure' led debut director Cord Jefferson to 'American Fiction'.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 American Fiction.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Fiction.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (November 10, 2022). Jeffrey Wright To Star In MRC And T-Street's Untitled Cord Jefferson Film. Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ Treuer, David (November 11, 2022). Cord Jefferson's adaptation of Percival Everett's novel Erasure; David Treuer on an Indigenous history of the US.
- ↑ Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Sterling K. Brown, Issa Rae Join Jeffrey Wright in Cord Jefferson's Directorial Debut for MGM's Orion Pictures (December 2, 2022).
- ↑ Fleming, Ryan (November 28, 2023). 'American Fiction' Writer-Director Cord Jefferson On Working With Jeffrey Wright And The 'Inherent Absurdity' Of How Race Is Perceived In America.
- ↑ Galuppo, Mia (December 2, 2022). Orion Pictures Lands 'Watchmen' Writer Cord Jefferson's Directorial Debut.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedvariety - ↑ Whittock, Jesse (May 8, 2023). Amazon MGM Studios Distribution To Launch At LA Screenings.
- ↑ Lang, Brent (2023-07-24). Toronto Film Festival 2023 Lineup Includes Alexander Payne, Richard Linklater, Anna Kendrick, George C. Wolfe and Ethan Hawke Movies (in en-US). Variety.
- ↑ Pond, Steve (September 17, 2023). 'American Fiction' Wins Toronto Film Festival's Audience Award.
- ↑ Sneider, Jeff (December 7, 2023). Director Cord Jefferson Discusses the Hurdles to Making 'American Fiction'.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 20, 2023). TIFF People's Choice Award Winner 'American Fiction' Moves To December.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2023-09-21). TIFF People's Choice Award Winner 'American Fiction' Moves To December.
- ↑ Tabbar, Mona (November 1, 2023). Toronto audience award winner American Fiction finds UK-Ireland home (exclusive).
- ↑ American Fiction (2023).
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 17, 2023). 'Poor Things' Is Anything But; 'American Fiction', 'The Zone Of Interest' Open Well As Audiences Embrace Original Fare – Specialty Box Office.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 28, 2024). 'The Beekeeper' Looks To Sting 'Mean Girls' During Woeful Weekend Without Wide Releases; How 'Barbenheimer' & Oscar Best Pic Noms Fared – Sunday Box Office Update.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 3, 2024). Apple Original Films' Argylle With C+ CinemaScore & Near $17M Opening Isn't Cutting It At Weekend Box Office – Saturday Update.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Wd". American Fiction (in en). Fandango Media.
- ↑ Gyarkye, Lovia (2023-09-09). 'American Fiction' Review: Jeffrey Wright in Cord Jefferson's Clever Directorial Debut About the Black Artist's Dilemma.
- ↑ Debruge, Peter (2023-09-09). 'American Fiction' Review: Jeffrey Wright Takes on Narrow Ideas of Black Representation in Sharp Industry Satire.
- ↑ Robinson, Peyton (December 15, 2023). American Fiction movie review (2023).
- ↑ Lyall, Sarah. "Jeffrey Wright: Hiding in Plain Sight in Our Favorite Characters", The New York Times, 2024-02-13. (in en-US)
- ↑ "American Fiction Is a Breezy Satire Anchored by Jeffrey Wright". TIME. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
- ↑ 16 Directors Praise 2023's Best Films: Alfonso Cuarón on 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' Jane Campion on 'Priscilla' and More. Variety (December 13, 2023).