Unemployed actors turn to YouTube to get screen time. But writers? Where do they go if the book deals aren鈥檛 coming in?
That鈥檚 the dilemma Thelonious 鈥淢onk鈥 Ellison faces in 鈥淎merican Fiction,鈥 when his novels tank and his teaching career is at a standstill. At a book fair, he notices who draws the crowd: a street-heavy story called 鈥淲e鈥檚 Lives in Da Ghetto.鈥
The author is someone with a prestigious background, not a tough life in the inner city. Does he sell out and follow her lead? Or does he rail against stereotypes and plot a different course?
It鈥檚 obvious what sells but director Cord Jefferson makes the journey so compelling you won鈥檛 be able to guess how Ellison wraps it up.
With Jeffrey Wright as the torn writer, 鈥淔iction鈥 is even more intriguing. He can play both offended and offensive with equal ease and isn鈥檛 above sinking low for a shot at success. Life gets sticky, however, when eager readers want to know more about his alias, Stagg R. Leigh, and that tough upbringing.
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In contrast, we see Ellison鈥檚 family 鈥 successful siblings and a mother dealing with dementia. When Leigh鈥檚 book is short-listed for an award, life becomes complicated and a crisis of conscience for its author.
Jefferson, adapting Percival Everett鈥檚 novel, 鈥淓rasure,鈥 doesn鈥檛 cut anyone breaks. Sinatra Golden (Issa Rae), the woman behind 鈥淒a Ghetto,鈥 has answers to his pointed questions and isn鈥檛 about to say she wrote it for financial reasons. Instead, she says she based it on interviews and is giving voice to another segment of society.
Ellison doesn鈥檛 have the same out. He wants the money; he doesn鈥檛 want the backlash that comes from writing Black stereotypes. So, he plays the game, agreeing to phone interviews and concocting a colorful past for Leigh 鈥 one that could easily be checked.
To complicate matters, there鈥檚 a hot director (nicely played by Adam Brody) who鈥檚 interested in turning the book into a film.
At home, mom (Leslie Uggams) isn鈥檛 getting any better and Monk鈥檚 siblings (Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown) are pushing him to take a stand.
Wright is so good at countering all the forces you wonder when his meltdown will occur. Reminiscent of other imposter stories, 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥 manages to take on both the literary world鈥檚 fascination with newly discovered talent and the desire by established writers to remain relevant. Jefferson forces his leading character鈥檚 hand and gets a Wright we haven鈥檛 seen before.
Gem-like performances from Rae, Ross and Brown add to the film鈥檚 luster. 鈥淎merican Fiction鈥 has 鈥淰EEP鈥-like tendencies and a resolution that says there鈥檚 a price to pay for messing with the faux status quo.
Movie critic Bruce Miller says "Wonka,鈥 the prequel to 鈥淲illy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,鈥 is just as delightful as the original.
