Movie recommendation: American Fiction

It's about race and class and families and money and publishing, and it's good.

Over the weekend, I saw American Fiction, a film based on the book Erasure by Percival Everett (Amazon Affiliate Link). I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I had heard good things. And I was blown away.

It’s the story of a writer named Thelonious “Monk” Ellison. His run-ins with modern publishing while dealing with family issues very much rhyme with things happening in my life. I identified with so much of the story, although Monk’s life is clearly not mine. To begin with, he’s a Black man and I am not.

Monk writes literary updates of Greek myths. The chain bookstore insists on shelving them under African-American Studies, not literature or myth.

(Also, Monk needed to sign all the books that he wanted moved in the bookstore scene. A signed book is a sold book! Shoppers are more likely to buy a signed book, and if they don’t, it can’t be returned to the distributor.)

Regardless of the correct genre, his publisher isn’t interested in buying any more of them. In frustration, Monk fires off a slap-dash parody playing into all the stereotypes about Black American life, and editors go wild. And then the fun begins. I saw American Fiction with a friend who is a writer, and on the way out, we ran into another friend, also a writer, who was at the same showing. We all agreed that the publishing scenes were brutal and true. But we liked the whole film.

There’s a lot going on as the characters navigate race, class, and careers while trying to be true to themselves. It’s a wickedly funny movie, with sharp dialogue and fantastic acting. American Fiction is getting wide distribution, in part due to star Jeffrey Wright’s Oscar nomination. Amazon is one of the producers, so you’ll be able to stream it eventually if you miss it.

But don’t miss it. It’s a great movie because it covers so many aspects of life that most people can find something that they identify with while also discovering new things. And it’s so funny.

Got another movie to recommend? Tell us in the comments!