It is ??? I may go see it,just checked my local cinema to see if it's playing there-it's-NOT. May check other theatres or wait till it comes to my local cinema.
Favorite of the year (besides Spider-verse), it deeply explores its themes and ends in a very clever way. Entertaining throughout, funny, great performances. See this in theaters
Definitely not the favorite of the year. It was good, but lingered on the family issues a little too long. #1 all day is Oppenheimer , #2 guardians 3, #3 Spider verse
@@Loveselfloveall1I understand that criticism but I found the family element entertaining and it gave insight into who Monk was and how he arrived at his stance on what black art should be. Loved those other 2 you mentioned as well.
"American Fiction" is one of the best films of the year. Jeffrey Wright and the entire cast was excellent. The themes presented like taking care of your elderly parents, being estranged from your family and trying to be taking seriously as a educated black person all hit home. The Film presented these themes with great humor and intelligence and grace. I love it!
I loved the movie..it will make you reflect and think about family. What broke me down was seeing myself as Tracee, being the oldest running the finances and house for mom and then the two brothers are kind of off living their lives so all the burden was on her. Taking care of aging parents is not easy. Story was beautifully written and had lots of comedic moments to lighten the serious moments. Great film 👏🏾👏🏾
This comment makes me want to see it now....I was in that position before my mom passed in 2022, my brother's just off doing whatever and I had to help my mom with things, she was sick.
@@stryfetc1471 please do! You will realize that you did a great job and please know it did not go unnoticed and if your siblings see it hopefully they will recognize that they had opportunities to step up, pitch in, and support you as well and didn't. Daughters have a heavy weight and you carried it well and your mom is resting peacefully now because of your care and sacrifice even when you were tired and have nothing left. May those of us who have lost our parents be encouraged and we just have to take life without them day by day ❤️🙏🏾
I just watched it, and I loved it. By the way, faculty members at many colleges are often required to publish either academic articles or books. The publish or perish thing is real.
Favorite movie I've seen in a long time and I see a lot. The humor, the drama, the differences and similarities between Monk (Jeffery Wright) and others who like the book stood out. The cinematography was beautiful too. The first time we see Monk & his brother (Sterling) in a room together was powerful.
The struggle of being black in a world where blackness has become the sum of it's worst stereotypes. Fantastic movie. Reminds me of Bamboozled. Was good 2 C Pam from The Cosby Show. Well directed, perfectly written, fantastic cast.
Just came out the theater. I really enjoyed this strong drama. It was warm, humorous, satirical. I like how it wasn't too much like "Bamboozled" (which I liked in spite of itself). The characters and dialogue were rich. I want more of these types of films.
I saw it.. loved it too! Tired of the same ole trope’s. For me I kept thinking about it had a message like a grown up 2024 Hollywood Shuffle(ish). Here we are 40yrs later and we are still being fed stereotypes
I always watch your reviews, even though I've hardly ever seen a single movie. I just love your analyses! I'd watch this, though...I'm a reader. p.s.--O how right you are about taking a break to hang with the fam. I did just that, moving impulsively from Louisville KY to Oregon, and LO! I discovered what the term "train wreck" really meant in my own existence. Three years later, I still can't find my way back to my sweet spot and, what's worse, my sweetheart. Ghastly. And I've got a great family.
I've watched around a thousand movies in my 20 years of life and I've never seen a movie like this one. The sound, the cinematography, the dialogue and how the characters act feels so different from any other movie
Interesting point about Color Purple release, but we also have to take into account the fact that it's got a name brand, it's been painted as a musical family film for the holidays, and it has far more marketing/in more theaters. But even if the playing field was even, I do think Color Purple would still have won. We like the bs over the self critique.
I really enjoyed it. Loved the characters and their chemistry. Loved the message and the opposing views of Wright’s character vs. Issa Rae’s character.
American Fiction is in my top movies of 2023. The writing, casting, acting, lighting...everything was fantastic. As much as I enjoyed The Color Purple when you see a film like AF you understand the difference between a good movie and an Oscar worthy movie. I don't see TCP as the kind of trauma porn he was talking about bc they really changed the tone of the film in 2023. American Fiction stands alone and I hope it rakes in a few Oscars. Sterling K Brown is my new Denzel; fantastic actor and sexy AF! The lighting did him right in that film...and all the people of color. Do they give lighting Oscars? If so, this film should get one, lol.
I must say I've only seen a few of Tony's reviews and to be honest....im subing! Side note, would love to see Tony back in Nashville soon! He did his thing in 22 when he was here!
As weird as this sounds this reminds me of a Family Guy episode from the early seasons where Brian writes a book that’s dumbed down and he runs with it while Stewey eats him alive in jokes lol
I loved it. American Fiction was one of the best comedies I saw all year, actually up there with the great horror comedy The Blackening, and the fantasy/adventure comedy Dungeons and Dragons film (Honor Among Thieves). But the laughs in American Fiction were deeper, belly laughs, because of the deep satire of the world's of literature, Hollywood, and awards/criticism in these spaces. What I really enjoyed was how this film functioned as a meta-commentary on award winning literature and film adaptations of books. And some of the film's best criticisms (and punchlines) are at the expense of "liberal" intellectuals who are only performative in their interests in inclusiveness; AND "prestigious, serious" artists who are so self serious that they think and behave as though only "true, respectable" forms of their art are worthy expressions, and more popular works have little to no value. Think of it as the common criticisms of authors like Stephen King, Christopher Pike, Dan Brown, and film makers like Tyler Perry (referenced twice in the film), Michael Bay, and Roger Corman. Sorry for rambling, it's an awesome film. Reminded me of "Scream (1996)", but for "Oscar Bait" films instead of slashers. This deserves to be a candidate for best film of 2023, and would be amazing if it won.
Great film! Just saw it today. Appreciate the juxtaposition of Color Purple in the same box office. I haven’t seen that one and maybe won’t, but this here was right up my alley. So many solid jokes, almost like a really long form Chappelle sketch at times, but the POC professional experience and family themes are universal and very realistically presented. So much that I could relate to with my own family. ❤️
Exactly what I loved about it was what SOME critics found problematic. Yes it was all over the place as far as it being funny, dramatic, deep, sometimes sad and what not. But that is who and how we are as black people. We are super multi-dimensional, diverse and nuanced. I loved this movie but that doesn't mean that I don't also love Boyz N The Hood. I just watched that AGAIN a couple days ago lol. ''Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's goin on in the hood." I LOVE BLACK PEOPLE LOL!
I have not seen this one yet so I look forward to it. The cast and premise alone got me interested. Being an educator is being a professional scholar, and therefore writing is a natural thing. Tony, I can see you being a teacher for a screen acting course or a course in professional entertainment. Several comedians write too. Something else to explore.
I enjoy your comedy and your social commentary; so I was looking forward to watching your movie reviews. ..with love and all due respect (sincerely), this was not a movie review ...the first 5:48min was a summary of the film. I liked the rest of the video though. and I appreciate the Color Purple comparison. I would love it if you could cut your summaries down so we can hear more of your opinions about these movies (which is what we're here for).❤
Totally agree with your rating Tony. Fantastic cast, good story and super entertaining! I had a couple of issues with it, but the ending was the main issue. I know what they were going for but not sure it delivered what they intended but didn’t affect how I feel about the movie as a whole.
Spot on with your last statement @tonybaker, because It’s also in limited theaters. I was trying to watch it New Year’s Eve while my daughter was at another movie with friends and went through 5 different theaters before I could find one. But color purple was at all of those theaters.
I finally watched it last night after what felt like months of waiting. When you initially posted this review, I watched the first 20 seconds and turned it off because I knew I had to watch it. Tony Baker always has the best reviews! You captured everything well. I love movies (not to savant level that Tony does) and have a bad habit of instinctively/subconsciously picking apart and piecing together underlying themes, tones, metaphors/symbolism and foreshadowing. Typically, I can pick up the smallest hints and predict the end of storylines within the first 30~ minutes into a movie. I'm sure that's typical for most people these days given the overabundance of movies. It's odd because I concluded every single outcome for the "possible endings" bit waaaay too ahead of schedule. Don't get me wrong, I laughed so hard at this movie because the heavy topics handled with the whites were so cringe-worthy to the point the movie was terribly good. The painstaking truth within this poignant movie is the somber reality we have to live through everyday whether we realize it or not. Perhaps, that's why Sterling wasn't sober... The only thing I wish was more nuanced was the complexity between Black exceptionalism in contrast with the drastic depiction of the mythologically monolithic Black experience. The juxtaposition between the two concepts runs parallel throughout the entire film, but I wish the movie didn't seem to pit Black people in the hood against Monk's overshading of how Black people could become more. They didn't have to explicitly point out that Monk comes from a privileged family that owns a home with a housekeeper in addition to a Beach house. It doesn't glorify what Black wealth "should or could" look like to the level of Kenya Barris's "Black excellence" projects which have become notoriously cliched and just plain awful. A Black family with 3 doctors is not unheard of and I think they do capture that life still ain't all peachy keen just because of your title. Yet, I don't think they recognized or reconciled this well. What about the people in the middle... Sure, Issa Rae alludes to this in the minor scene with Monk about potential, but Rae still can't argue the stance that her book captures the real lives of Black people's experiences in the hood. From her reading at the conference, it appears she didn't contextualize the larger narrative at play (e.g., school to prison pipeline, legalistic approaches to keep us in line, and historic political abuses of power that affect the world today- all these feel like the same thing because they're systemically linked). Though her boots-on-the-ground approach sounds nice, there's plenty of white people doing the same thing with the same good intentions that unknowingly perpetuate negative impact on the communities they believe they're serving. Monk and Rae may be at polar ends of the spectrum as writers but they agreed on surface level DEI work; I do hate that term and all it stands for because it sounds nice but can never be executed well by any institution founded on inequity-it's disingenuous and makes white people feel absolved (like the movie critiques). I guess what I'm trying to convey is that the movie centers on Black people being portrayed as so much more while being depicted as so much less (a weighty concept to tackle well)... but what about those who are doing the best they can within their own circumstances whether they fail or succeed. This is the human experience for all and I know they brushed slightly against the idea. Sure the housekeeper gets married with her boothang like he was a expedited package, but there's no lucid levity about tackling the system head on. Monk believes in colorblindness (which is a privileged ideology) while Rae believes in selling out the community she doesn't belong to because, although captured in real-time, it is lucrative to the white masses. She is working through a deficit lens instead of empowerment. The overarching message was about authenticity, identity, and family belonging. Family is family and we all should feel deeply connected to our flesh and blood regardless of the drama in an ideal world. Sure, that sounds all good and well...But what about community??? What would've really tied this movie together well would've been a third major character in the extreme middle of these two polar characters. A Black (wo)man activist deeply invested in community organizing to improve our people's circumstances while highlighting the cultural wealth within the Black community from an anti-deficit lens. I imagine the hijinks being the obvious "these white folk stealing our culture" but what about the absurdity of navigating these sociopolitical systems while keeping the people you aim to best serve without disappointing them to the point where they feel hopeless. As a writer/journalist, they may best serve their community, gain buzz, and unexpectedly combat modern news networks when invited with real talk while the anchors try to shoo them away. Some examples I think of are Dear White People's journalistic approach to critiquing of injustice or how Abbott Elementary maintains hope despite the dire consequences of a terrible public school system. As a school administrator, I find it all too real but hilarious regardless. Dam... my comments are like articles these days...I should just start making video essays on RU-vid...wrote a whole script in 10 minutes that could've been a 50-minute video essay...
I LOVED this movie, everyone played their role perfectly. I laughed and got my heart strings tugged at over and over again. This definitely will launch lengthy conversations because there was so much going on and it touched on a lot of stereotypes and truths. A+
I enjoyed the movie for the themes explored. I am educator (in higher ed), and I could definitely see you teaching a course. If you ever need help developing your course or writing your book, let me know. Your community appreciates you. Thank you for your contributions.
I'm watching "American Fiction" this evening with a group of 7!!! I was FRUSTRATED that it was NOT released in Western NY until today AND until recently WNY Regal Cinemas only had it playing for 2 showtimes for one day only (today)!! 😡 Thank God Regal Cinemas JUST added two locations with multiple showtimes in the area! 🙌🏾 I muted the video while writing this but let me hurry up and leave before I see how many 🎷 Tony gives it! 🍞🏃🏾♀️💨
I finally got around to going out and watching this movie in theaters. I really enjoyed it though, the ambiguous ending kind of threw me off. It was a good time.
It was a good mindfukc movie. The entire movie was actually a stereotype in itself like the book he wrote. The gay party life brother. No dad in the household. The maid meeting and falling for the cop. Neighbor breaking up and falling for him. All normal stereotype characters in black movies. Way deeper than expected.
watched it last night….there is A LOT of in this film…it’s going to take me a few days to work around it. might have to to see it again, bc out of the 5 people in the theatre, this one wwwwwhite guy was laughing after ever sentence. i may hav missed things..but excellent recommendation. thank you.
I saw the film because I LOVE anything Jeffrey Wright does. However even though it was an original story idea I feel like the characters were not fully developed. I would have loved to see more of Jeffrey's character dealing with his early writing frustrations rather than be an accomplished professor/writer dealing with one failed book
It was a good movie. At first I didn't get that he was frustrated when he was talking to the other judge about the reason why black authors aren't accepted as just authors. So he was upset with Erica Alexander for liking the ghettobook as if she accepted what people say is what black authors can only writ about. The movie reminded me of the Cosby show status how the characters are professionals and living well which is a norm for a lot of Black People but other recognized as well deserved from their hard work. It's ashame that they took away Affirmative Action which helped Black People a whole lot in more ways then one. Terrible that some who benefited from Affirmative Action think that they could've made it without it. Please read The Great Controversy by Ellen G. White. God bless.😊
Just saw it. This movie was outstanding. For those of you who remember, it has a lot in common with the old Robert Townsend movie Hollywood Shuffle. Go see it!
I thought it was trash. the jokes didnt hit. the drama didnt hit for me. only conversation between Monk and Sintara was good and irconically thier convo descripted my feeling about the Movie. it was conscribed movie making material. The Brother was annoying about his sexuality, i live in Atlanta, gay dudes dont tell you they are gay every conversation. it was weak but had good actors
Sounds like a similar premise to Spike Lee’s bamboozled. There is only one element of black life and black reality that sells. The other 75% of it is mostly disregarded.
Bait and switch 🤣🤣🤨. Great acting! A+ actors! Great trailer! But had the movie’s storyline stayed consistent with the trailer it would’ve been a winner. I think so many viewers wanted this movie to be a hit because it would pull back the layers of a topic we wanted addressed in earnest, but many reviews are looking right past the obvious. The actual movie hardly digs into the issue of racial identity and entertainment. Wouldn’t be a problem if the trailer was true to the movie. And two of the better actors had more screen time in the trailer than the movie (I know that’s technically impossible but it felt like it). Too many topics and director simply abandoned the very topic highlighted in the trailer that drew people like me to the movie. People we say they like it because their hopes are bigger than their eyes. I hope another director takes a stab at the issue and invest in the main theme. Disappointed and woefully misleading. 😅
Really good movie that makes you think. There was probably only 15 people in the theater with me, but it was a late showing. I actually went to see "The Book of Clarence " the night before. It too was a good film.
Saw it last night and I thought it was really funny. I like how it mocked this American woke popculture view of black people culture being confined to poor neighborhoods/ghetto culture. And I also liked how it didn't shy away from showing Monk and his family's prejudices (you know I once saw your daddy kissing a white woman!). It was honest because everyone discriminates to a certain degree. Gave the characters depth. Lastly I love the fact that it makes fun of Oscarbait movies (complete with the La La Land outro) and then gets nominated for several. Guess there still is some integrity left in Hollywood.
The premise is good. Jeffrey Wright character was great. Not a good movie because it was too convoluted. Sterling Brown character took away from the storyline. There were some fantasy parts. 2 out 5 stars.
Just checking: the Sterling K Brown character according to the reviewer is going through a divorce. Is that it? That is his storyline? Gee...any biases hidden?? You wouldn't be harboring any scary feelings about a character in a movie are you? One film you do not mention in this review is Origin which is based on a book written by a black woman that was on the NY TImes best seller list for many months within the past 5 years that was turned into a film directed by a black woman that features one of the most powerful performances by a actress on screen in recent history - and all of it; writer, director, actor, film; were also completely ignored by the Academy. Go see Origin and maybe you will understand that the struggles of the Brown character that you ignore in this review are not different than those of others that are oppressed and told they are not as good as the superior class of idiots that we have allowed to ruin our lives for centuries. We don't have to ignore each other to feel powerful. If we can actually learn to be colleagues in the struggle to flip the script on the patriarchal christian supremacists that impose their twisted will on the majority of us we might actually be able to enjoy each others experiences as human beings instead of being fearful and judgmental.
