There is a lot going on in American Fiction. It is a story about siblings facing tragedy and escalating financial needs when one of them passes away and their mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It is also about frustration with the literary establishment which rewards titles that portray minorities in the light that confirms the white consumer's view of them over those penned by authentic voices. It also meanders to touch upon the behaviours we inherit from our parents, and the cost of being reserved and not letting others in.
There are so many threads here, and though the film tries to balance them as best it can, it struggles to narrow down on its central plotline. Some of the film's more intriguing interactions arrive when Monk is discussing the authenticity of Black fiction with another writer who has no qualms serving the market in contrast to him, sadly we only get a few of these conversations that help the film go beyond its absurd satire.
Nonetheless, in portraying this tale of a writer who resorts to stereotyping Black culture in an attempt to vent his frustrations, Cord Jefferson has delivered his vision of an authentic family. The people of American Fiction are complicated, likeable, frustrated, and dealing with their own demons. They fall in love and struggle to hold on to it, all the while dealing with the ups and downs that life tends to throw up. If nothing else, it was a delight to step into their world for a couple of hours.
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