While 2023 has been an excellent year for films. Sadly, as has been the case in most recent years, the movies that receive nominations for the big awards, specifically the Oscars, haven’t been my favorite. This year continues the trend. At the time of this post, I have three of the predicted ten Best Picture nominated movies in my Top 10 movies of 2023, with that number more likely to go down than up as I revisit my thoughts. The same can said of the nominations in the other awards, specifically the other Big Five. It has felt as if the voters are more interested in rewarding actors who traditionally get nominated or are due for their first nomination, and the nomination is a longevity award rather than an outstanding performance that year.

There are, of course, exceptions. Cillian Murphy likely will win Best Actor in a Lead Performance for Oppenheimer. While it may have been Murphy’s “turn” to receive recognition, he did give the best performance of the year. But Robert Downey Jr. being the frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor feels more like a lifetime achievement award. Other likely nominees such as Ryan Gosling (Barbie), Robert DiNero (Killers of the Flower Moon), and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things) all seem less deserving than relatively unknown Charles Melton, who gave the supporting actor performance of the year in May December. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) is almost embarrassing as a nominee.

While I won’t provide similar examples for the other three awards, I’m not in love with the other four nominees for Best Actor. Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) is looked at as the one who has the best chance to challenge Murphy. It was an average performance in an average movie. Bradley Cooper (Maestro) is absolutely deserving of a nomination. Had Maestro been more widely received, it could have been a nice fight with Murphy. The other nominees in consideration are Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon), Colman Domingo (Rustin), and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction). I thought DiCaprio was as great as he always is. He would be my pick for a nomination. I have yet to watch Rustin. Wright (The Batman, Aestroid City) is a Hollywood darling who has yet to receive an Oscar nomination despite a long list of credentials. However, he does have three Emmy nominations for Westworld. His performance as a frustrated writer/college professor trying not to fall into a typical stereotype is the best part of American Fiction, a film that has been well-received by critics (93% fresh) and audiences (97% fresh) alike.

American Fiction felt flat. Much like this year’s The Holdovers, I liked the movie but did not see where the hype comes from. I’m the first to admit that I’m usually not a fan of dark comedies or, even more frequently, satires. Last year’s The Menu and this year’s Saltburn have been exceptions to the rules, though I did not know that was what either of those would be before my viewing. In its defense, I didn’t realize that about American Fiction, either. The main difference when I compare these three movies is that I was much more intrigued by the trailers for The Menu and Saltburn than I was for American Fiction. Like with many late-season, Oscar-bait movies, my main reason for watching American Fiction was less about my interest in the film than it was watching a movie that would likely receive at least one Academy Award nomination.

American Fiction is, first and foremost, a satire of what the publishing industry wants from Black authors. Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright) is a fledging author whose most recent novel has just been passed over by a ninth publisher. Despite feeling downtrodden, Monk refuses to change his writing style to something he is not. Particularly, he doesn’t see race or want to use his race as a means to success. Particularly, having grown up in a wealthy family of doctors, he has no desire to follow the advice of his critics to write “Blacker” books.

When Monk sees fellow writer Sintara (Issa Rae – Barbie, The Hate U Give) giving an interview to an entire room of attendees at a writing conference they are both attending, he is taken aback. Sintara is a Black author with a similar upbringing to Monk, whose novel We’re Lives in Da Ghetto centers on inner-city Black women. This prompts Monk to spur up a novel as a joke. He writes Pafology using the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, someone unknown to the world, under the persona of a wanted fugitive. The book is filled with Black stereotypes. Using the book as purgative cleansing to rid himself of bitterness and resentment, he learns that his sarcastic, carelessly written novel has received much buzz and attention. Now referred to as a genius, with one company offering a large sum of money from one company to produce, Monk uses his newly created persona to see how far he can take the ridiculousness.

There are subplots in American Fiction that I wish had been flushed out more. Monk’s family mother is at the forefront, particularly his mother, Agnes (Leslie Uggams – Deadpool, Sugar Hill). A trip back home to the Boston area (from his West Coast residence) has allowed Monk to witness firsthand Agnes’s deteriorating physical and mental health (early stages of Alzheimer’s), so much so that she needs around-the-clock care. Monk’s sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross – ABC’s black-ish) and Cliff (Sterling K. Brown – Black Panther, Waves), are both medical doctors, which may serve more as a convenience piece of them having higher salaries than Monk than anything else. Lisa is shown to be loving, soothing, and protective, while Cliff is portrayed as more carefree, wild, and reckless. Monk and Lisa are comfortable in silence, whereas there is a certain amount of unease when he and Cliff are together. No character is perfect, and Jefferson effectively distinguishes them from one another.

You’ll most likely enjoy American Fiction if you enjoyed watching this year’s The Holdovers. Both movies are highly character-driven behind the film’s lead. There’s a similarity between Rush’s and Paul Giamatti’s characters. Both harbor some resentment for their situation, with neither character thinking that they deserve more, but at the same time, they wonder why, with all of their hard work and perseverance, they haven’t achieved all they set out to achieve. Each is required to balance life circumstances that neither intended to be going through while doing some introspection to examine their life, their work, how they treat others, and their impact on the world.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 8/10
Character Chemistry 8/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 7/10
Directing 7/10
Cinematography 7/10
Sound 7/10
Hook and Reel 7/10
Universal Relevance 9.5/10
78.5%

C

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• Stranger than Fiction
• The Menu
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