By John Corrado

★★★ (out of 4)

The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7th to 17th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

Jeffrey Wright stars in American Fiction as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, but it’s not what you think; this is in no way a biopic of the African-American jazz pianist, but rather a blistering and often very funny modern satire that takes aim at accepted forms of representation.

Wright’s Ellison is a cagey college literary professor and failed author who has adopted the name Monk as a sort of shorthand. Monk has grown increasingly frustrated with the easily triggered students in his class (the film opens on a white girl with dyed green hair calling him out for his use of a quote including the N-word), and his publisher doesn’t consider his fiction to be “Black” enough.

They are more interested in books like We’s Lives in Da Ghetto, a work of poverty porn by a celebrated young author (Issa Rae) that is setting the publishing world ablaze. Disillusioned by its success, Monk starts writing the sort of book he hates as a joke. Enter My Pafology, a heavily stereotyped story written from the perspective of an ex-convict, drawing upon every racial stereotype imaginable. But, lo-and-behold, his publisher actually bites, and Monk is left with a monster of his own creation.

The feature directorial debut of Emmy-winning writer Cord Jefferson (whose previous credits include The Good Place, Watchmen and Succession), American Fiction works as a cross between publishing world satire and Hollywood sendup, that weaves in elements of family drama. The film largely unfolds around Monk going back to his Boston hometown to help care for his aging mother (Leslie Uggams), who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

An adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel Erasure, there are so many layers to the story, both in terms of its inwardly twisting structure and pointed commentary. Jefferson’s film skewers the deeply stereotyped works of trauma porn that are largely crafted for white audiences, challenging the sort of representation that is crafted primarily for an audience of socially conscious white liberals who claim they want more diversity.

Wright, an actor who has proven himself in supporting roles (including memorable appearances in Wes Anderson’s two most recent pictures), gets to showcase his range in a much earned leading role. Wright offers a nuanced portrayal of a professor known for his opinionated, acidic wit (the character is perhaps modelled after outspoken linguistics professor John McWhorter in both his appearance and manner), deftly navigating both the film’s dramatic beats and the inherent comedy of the almost tragically funny predicament that Monk finds himself in.

Sterling K. Brown also steals scenes and breathes life into his portrayal of Monk’s gay brother, a coked up plastic surgeon whose own life is sort of a mess. The film’s playful, subversive narrative, matched by Laura Karpman’s jazzy score and a constantly evolving, free-form story structure, keeps American Fiction fun to watch, and makes the bitter pill of its commentary easier to swallow. This is the sort of film that is fun to watch with a crowd and talk about afterwards.

Public Screenings: Friday, September 8th, 8:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre; Saturday, September 9th, 5:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Thursday, September 14th, 8:30 PM at Royal Alexandra Theatre