American Fiction film review: Jeffrey Wright shines in homage to black artistry

Whether you know him as James Bond’s contact Felix Leiter, Jim Gordon in The Batman or Bernard in Westworld, Jeffrey Wright has made a career of being an exceptional part of an ensemble. American Fiction sees him step into the spotlight, and the results are terrific.

He plays Monk, a writer and professor who is tired of his books selling poorly while work that panders to African American stereotypes become hits. Facing financial pressures at home, he writes an intentionally ridiculous manuscript, only to find its broad tropes make him a hit. Creating a streetwise pseudonym, Monk begins to weigh up the merits of being true to one’self.

Offering a premise similar to Spike Lee’s 2000 satire Bamboozled, writer-director Cord Jefferson pours his frustration with modern culture on to the screen. Had it just been about representation, it might have run the risk of becoming surreal, but Jefferson keeps things grounded by focusing on family, and the way in which we all seem trapped by labels.

It should be no surprise to anyone familiar with his work that Wright is exceptional. An actor that has had the range to play Jean-Michel Basquiat, Muddy Waters, and Colin Powell during his career manages to do the text justice. He plays Monk as someone disdainful of The Mainstream, yet also desperate to be adored by it. The performance only gains layers thanks to his co-stars, particularly Sterling K Brown as Monk’s troubled brother.

American Fiction has a lot to get through in two hours, leaving some big moments without punch. However, on the whole this is an excellent platform for a rightly celebrated actor, and a comment on Black American artistry that you sense will be relevant for years to come.

American Fiction is in cinemas from 2nd February.

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