This past September, Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” a confident debut and remarkable feat of comedy, satire and racial politics, won the coveted TIFF People’s Choice Award. It’s one of the best American films of the year.
The film has also turned into one of the surprise awards players this season. A trailer has finally been released by MGM/Orion. “American Fiction” will premiere on December 15, with an expansion on December 22. Here’s the official synopsis:
AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Featuring a brilliant performance from Jeffrey Wright, and adapted from Percival Everett’s novel “Erasure,” this is an intellectually stimulating film about how well-meaning white people want black people portrayed in art. It takes no prisoners in its account of today’s faux-sensibilities.
“American Fiction” is filled with satirical sting, reminding me of Alexander Payne’s earlier films. It mixes drama and comedy to ignite a socio-cultural conversation that is much needed today. This is a thoughtful, and quite often very funny, look at identity in today’s America. You can read my rave review.
Reeves is supposed to direct, David E. Kelley is writing, and just like that, Apple got cold feet — the usual “creative differences” excuse is being cited in the report, and maybe that was indeed the case.