American Fiction

Plot

Thelonious "Monk" Ellison is a Black elite writer and professor living in Los Angeles. His novels receive academic praise but sell poorly, and his publishers reject his latest manuscript for not being "Black" enough. His college superiors place him on temporary leave due to his brashness with students over racial issues and suggest that he attend a literary seminar in his hometown of Boston. His panel at the seminar is sparsely attended, in contrast to a packed room for an interview with Sintara Golden, whose bestselling novel We's Lives in Da Ghetto shamelessly panders to Black stereotypes.

In Boston, Monk has dinner with his mother Agnes, who shows signs of Alzheimer's disease, and his 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. Newly divorced and out of the closet, Cliff engages in frequent drug use and casual sex. Monk meets Coraline, a lawyer living across the street from his mother's beach house and begins dating her.

Frustrated by the costs of care for his mother and resenting Sintara's success, Monk writes My Pafology, a fake memoir 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, which he reluctantly accepts to pay for his mother's care. During a call with a prospective publisher, his agent Arthur improvises a cover story that "Stagg R. Leigh", the pseudonym Monk adopted for the novel, is a wanted fugitive. As "Stagg", Monk is offered a movie deal from film producer Wiley Valdespino. In response to patronizing comments by the publishing executives, Monk tries to sabotage the deal by demanding the title be changed to Fuck, but the publishers concede to his ultimatum. Monk is invited to help judge the New England Book Association's Literary Award as part of a "diversity push" and he reluctantly accepts. Monk is surprised to discover that Sintara is a fellow judge and that she shares many of his views.

Monk moves Agnes into an expensive assisted-living facility but she adapts poorly. Cliff briefly returns to visit, only to quickly leave when Agnes makes a homophobic remark. Fuck becomes a bestseller, much to Monk's shock and chagrin. Monk's family, friends, and the public remain unaware that he is Stagg, and the FBI contacts the publisher for information on Stagg's whereabouts.

Production

In November 2022, Jeffrey Wright was cast in the untitled film, based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett. Cord Jefferson would adapt the novel, with the film being his directorial debut. T-Street Productions and MRC Film produced the film. In December 2022, Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Sterling K. Brown, Myra Lucretia Taylor, John Ortiz, Issa Rae, and Adam Brody joined the cast. The film wrapped production in Boston in early December, with COVID-19 safety precautions used on set. That month, MGM's Orion Pictures acquired the film's worldwide distribution rights. As a first-time filmmaker, Jefferson said he was such a fan of Wright's that he was nervous to give him feedback; it was producer Nikos Karamigios who, on the first day of shooting, encouraged him to be more assertive as a director. The film was shot in twenty-six days, with most scenes being completed with few (three to four) takes. In July 2023, with the announcement of its world premiere, the film's title was reported to be American Fiction. It is the first film from Orion to be distributed through Amazon MGM Studios Distribution, following Amazon's acquisition of MGM the year before, which also resulted in the 2021 MGM logo being added to the beginning of the film.

Release

On September 8, 2023, American Fiction premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People's Choice Award. 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. It had a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 15, 2023, with an expansion the following week (December 22, 2023). The film's release date had initially been set for November 3, 2023, before being changed to the later date. The film was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland by Curzon Film on February 2, 2024.

The film was released for digital platforms on February 6, 2024.

Reception

Box office

American Fiction 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.

The film made $229,000 from seven theaters in its opening weekend, a per-venue average of $32,400. 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. The following weekend it made $2.4 million.

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 296 critics' reviews are positive. The website'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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 54 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film a 90% positive score, with 83% saying they would definitely recommend it.

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". 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 Debruge, Jefferson "trusts his audience to bring themselves to the material", which is "what makes reading American Fiction so rewarding." 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".

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". 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".

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." Other filmmakers, including Rachel Morrison and Paul Schrader, also praised the film.

Accolades

The American Film Institute placed American Fiction as one of its top 10 films of 2023, praising Jefferson's writing as "the arrival of a powerful voice in American film", Wright's "triumphant" performance, and the ensemble cast.