‘American Fiction’ Movie and Blu-ray Review
The following review was written by Ultimate Rabbit correspondent, Tony Farinella.
“American Fiction” is the kind of adult drama which has been sorely missing from Hollywood over the past decade and a half. Hollywood has become obsessed with the big screen blockbuster and superhero films. Now, of course, there is nothing wrong with those films, but the adult drama along with R-rated comedies are becoming harder and harder to find these days. It is why a film like “American Fiction” is such a delightful treat for moviegoers who enjoy complex characters and well-rounded stories, and who like to be challenged when they sit down and watch a movie.
The film stars Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison, an author and teacher who is grumpy, defeated and incredibly unhappy with his life. Thelonious is a difficult person to be around as he’s critical of not only himself but everyone else around him. It doesn’t help that he isn’t as successful as he used to be with his writing. He’s finding it harder and harder to connect with audiences as he sees a shift in the literary landscape. The books which are making money and selling are those which profit off the stereotypes that exist in black entertainment.
Thelonius is told to write a “black book,” which is something he wants nothing to do with at all as it goes against his principles and his beliefs. It makes him angry to see a writer like Sintara Golden (Issa Rae) selling books left and right while his own work is financially unsuccessful. He returns home to spend time with his family, which is another source of stress in his life. His sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross), is a hard-working physician who is doing her best to get back on her feet after a painful and costly divorce. He also discovers that his mother, Agnes (Leslie Uggams), is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.
This is not the pick-me-up visit Thelonius needed, as he’s not exactly close with his brother, Cliff, played by Sterling K. Brown. Cliff and Lisa have trouble getting along with him because he’s too much like their deceased father who was withdrawn, judgmental and often pushed people away. With his mother’s health suffering, it is up to Thelonius to take care of her finances and figure out what to do with her care. He finds a solution when he ends up writing a book under a pseudonym, which gives the public what they are looking for: a stereotypical black book which relies on the offensive and cliché-ridden tropes audiences love. As the old expression goes, “No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.”
Thelonius has also developed a relationship with a neighbor, Coraline, played by Erika Alexander. She likes him, but can he love himself enough to work it out with her? Can he get along with his brother? He’s also discovering through his agent, played by John Ortiz, that his book might even be turned into a movie. This is all happening very fast for him as he’s wrestling with his need to produce substantial material and also his need for money. In many cases, the two do not go hand-in-hand. He doesn’t want to sell his soul for the almighty dollar, but he also has bills to pay in the meantime. Can his moral compass allow him to “sell out?”
“American Fiction” was my favorite film of 2023. It starts with the screenplay, which won Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards. The film has great dialogue in it along with rich and funny characters that really sizzle on screen. It’s a witty, timely and sharp script. The film reminded me a lot of Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled,” but it’s a more upbeat film and not as bleak. It is hard to overlook how little has changed since “Bamboozled” came out back in 2000, though. The big thing that has changed is there are more platforms and outlets for this kind of material to be digested by audiences.
This film also has a tremendous cast from top-to-bottom. Everyone has effortless chemistry with one another on screen, and they are all likable, interesting and well-developed. Even though Thelonius is a curmudgeon, he’s never boring. There is something very quirky and funny about him, and it is because he was written with a lot of different layers to him. As an audience, we understand his frustration and we know why he feels the way he does about his family and how African Americans are presented in mainstream media. He’s not wrong, even if he goes about it in a way that tends to grate on those closest to him. He can be preachy and self-righteous, but it’s hard to argue with his points. This is a man who is learning to love himself, love someone else, and reconnect with his family. He’s a work-in-progress.
If you are like me and enjoy a film with heart, humor and a bit of edge to it, you will love “American Fiction.” This is the kind of movie Hollywood used to make but seem to shy away from these days. I enjoyed every single minute of this hilarious, heartfelt and intelligent piece of moviemaking. This film allows the audience to spend time with these characters, get to know, care about, and become emotionally invested in them. The ending, without giving anything away, is also perfect. I loved “American Fiction,” and I’m confident you will love it too.
* * * * out of * * * *
Blu-ray Info: “American Fiction” is being released on a single-disc Blu-ray from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment. It has a running time of 117 minutes and is rated R for language throughout, some drug use, sexual references, and brief violence. It also comes with a digital copy of the film as well.
Video/Audio Info: The 1080p high-definition transfer is very colorful, clear, and bright. Would I have loved a 4K transfer of my favorite film of last year? Of course! However, this is a very good-looking Blu-ray, and I can hold out hope it gets a 4K upgrade at some point as I think this film is only going to grow in popularity as more people see it on physical media. The audio on this Blu-ray is also top-of-the-line. All of the dialogue can be heard very clearly, which is important, because this is a very dialogue-driven film. Subtitles are included in English, French and Spanish.
Special Features:
None
Should You Buy It?
If you are strictly buying “American Fiction” for the movie itself, you should definitely buy it right away. However, this is only available on Blu-ray and DVD, and there are also no special features. This is a supremely bare bones Blu-ray from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment which is pretty disappointing. It does come with a slipcover, though. I’d say buy the Blu-ray with the slipcover as, from an audio and visual standpoint, it still looks and sounds really good. I always like to err on the side of caution, and I’d rather have a great movie on Blu-ray with the slipcover while I can before they stop releasing it with a slipcover. That being said, this film deserved a much better physical media release than it got,
**Disclaimer** I received a copy of this film from Warner Brothers to review for free. The opinions and statements in the review are mine and mine alone.
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