American Fiction (2023)

The biggest hit in American Fiction is a book its author wrote as an insult. Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a professor whose serious novels barely sell and whose latest gets turned down for not being Black enough. Fed up with a bestseller packed with stereotypes, he dashes off a parody under a fake name, Stagg R. Leigh, and the publishing world gobbles it up, movie deal and all. Cord Jefferson’s satire is sharp and very funny about who gets to decide what Black stories sound like. The best scenes, though, are at home in Boston, with his mother Agnes slipping into Alzheimer’s and his brother Cliff, played by Sterling K. Brown, crashing back into his life. The satire and the family drama don’t always share a tone, and the ending will split a room. Wright is superb in small, quiet ways. It holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. An 8.6 because it’s smart and warm at once. $452 says you browse the next bestseller table you see, wondering which author is secretly Stagg R. Leigh.

What works: Jeffrey Wright’s restrained, funny performance anchors a script that’s both a sharp satire of publishing and a warm family story.

What doesn’t: The publishing satire and the family drama sometimes feel like two different movies, and the meta ending will frustrate anyone who wanted a clean finish.

Who it’s for: Readers, writers and anyone who has ever rolled their eyes at a bestseller list.