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American Fiction

Play trailer 2:15 Poster for American Fiction R Released Jan 12, 2024 1h 57m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 291 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Verified Ratings
AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture's obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish "Black" book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
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American Fiction

American Fiction

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Critics Consensus

Jeffrey Wright and American Fiction will forever be inextricable thanks to the actor's committed approach to the pointedly humorous and insightful material.

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Audience Says

Smart, funny, and poignant, American Fiction will make you laugh as often as it makes you think.

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Critics Reviews

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Wenlei Ma The Nightly (AU) Anchored by a tour de force performance from Jeffrey Wright, writer and first-time director Cord Jefferson’s film is a confident work that delights in exploring thorny concepts through humour and clear-minded irreverence. Rated: 5/5 Feb 27, 2024 Full Review Tara Brady Irish Times Cord Jefferson, who previously made episodes of Watchmen and The Good Life, marries a light touch and broad humour with affecting familial dysfunction and biting observations on race. Cultural crises are seldom so entertaining. Rated: 4/5 Feb 24, 2024 Full Review Stephen Romei The Australian This satire shouldn't be laugh-out-loud funny ... but it is. Rated: 4/5 Feb 24, 2024 Full Review Charlotte Simmons The Treatment (Substack) If it’s a particularly impressive comedy film, its beats can function in two or more frameworks at once so as to tickle even more subconscious funnybones. And if it’s as ingeniously crafted as American Fiction? Well... Jul 23, 2025 Full Review Samantha Schuster Cinéfilo Serial With intelligence, wit, and a biting social critique, the director seeks to blend an absurd and unexpected work story with a powerful family tragedy to achieve a perfect balance between comedy and drama. [Full Review in Spanish] Rated: 4/5 Jul 18, 2025 Full Review Maxance Vincent Film Speak Jefferson doesn’t push buttons for the sake of pushing buttons. Every scene has a purpose and informs Monk’s view of the world. Rated: A Jul 14, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Quinton H Overall, a good choice for a date night movie. The story & acting talent were great. In fact, I liked the movie enough to add Percival Everett to my reading list - a decision which I’ve not regretted. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/27/24 Full Review Brian J 👍🏿 very entertaining definitely would recommend Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/19/24 Full Review jac very fun Jeffrey Wright is amazing, aa always Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/11/24 Full Review Kent Fun story. Very good acting. Not my favorite ending. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review Barbara C one viewing is enough. no real message that would inspire for change Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/23/24 Full Review TLC Deserves all the praise its received! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/17/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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American Fiction

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Movie Info

Synopsis AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture's obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish "Black" book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Director
Cord Jefferson
Producer
Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson, Jermaine Johnson
Screenwriter
Cord Jefferson
Distributor
MGM
Production Co
Orion Pictures, T-Street, MRC, 3Arts
Rating
R (Sexual References|Language Throughout|Brief Violence|Some Drug Use)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 12, 2024, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 6, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA)
$21.0M
Runtime
1h 57m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1
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