American Fiction was released in the U.S. on Dec. 22, 2023, with a running time of 117 minutes. The film was screened Feb. 26 at 3:35 and 6:00 p.m. in Harris Auditorium located in the School of Business and Education. The event was hosted by Shawn Smolen-Morten, chair of the Department of Modern Languages and professor of English.
Based on the 2001 novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett, the film stars Jeffrey Wright, Issa Rae, John Ortiz, Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody and Keith David. Having grossed $23 million, the motion picture has earned five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Wright.
The film is a satirical comedy-drama that follows the challenges Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a college professor, faces while trying to publish his work. Despite praise from fellow associates, publishers reject his latest manuscript for “not being Black enough.”
He finds himself frustrated that stereotypes in the Black community involving hardship and struggle receive more credit than his own work and argues that Black culture cannot be reduced to narratives of oppression and adversity.
Monk is later placed on temporary academic leave after a controversial lecture involving a racial slur that the professor had written on the board while discussing literature of the American South. One white student, Brittany, found the word offensive. Monk explains that the course includes “archaic thoughts and coarse language,” but the student continues to argue.
“I got over it, I’m pretty sure you can, too,” Monk said.
Thereafter, Monk attends a seminar where Sinatra Golden promotes her new novel, “We’s Lives in Da Ghetto.” Golden is the author of critically acclaimed books that depict Black trauma and stereotypes, essentially writing stories that align with the expectations of the publishing industry, which Monk finds offensive and irritating. In response, he releases “My Pafology.”
Monk’s novel follows violent, stereotypical and crude depictions of the Black experience. Written as a joke under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, the novel quickly gains recognition and success, highlighting the absurdity and racism within the publishing industry.
One particularly scathing review of American Fiction by Arthur France, a critic from Medium, refers to the movie as a “flopbuster.” While France praised the actors’ portrayals, he argued that “something was lost in translation.” However, he admits that he had not read the original novel, so how could he possibly comment on that fact? I find that to be somewhat hypocritical. I would like to read “Erasure” in the near future to confirm or deny his standpoint. France’s distaste for the film was quite apparent, but I believe he misunderstood the central theme. Alas, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Overall, I found the film to be quite thought provoking and appreciated its various notes of satire. Jeffrey Wright’s character was witty as well as humorous. It is an entertaining motion picture that I would highly recommend.
American Fiction is available to rent or purchase on several streaming services including YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, Fandango at Home and Apple TV with prices beginning at $3.99.