AMERICAN FICTION-Writer's Fictitious Depiction Evokes Woke Constrictions

Elon Musk stated, "At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful. It basically gives mean people a shield to be mean and cruel, armored in false virtue." AMERICAN FICTION maintains the conviction that being woke is counterproductive with the feigned intent of being open minded.  This entertaining film takes a fresh satirical look at the arrogance of honorable wokeness. It's a topsy-turvy spoof cashing in on derogatory stereotyping. To call AMERICAN FICTION tongue-in-cheek is an understatement. It shortchanges the film's clever writing, brilliant acting and effectiveness at portraying a loving, albeit dysfunctional family. The family at the heart of the film has three highly successful siblings: Monk, an erudite author and Ivy League, Lit. professor, (Jeffrey Wright) his brother, Cliff (Sterling K Brown) and sister, Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) both medical doctors. The squabbling siblings live spread apart but share a deep connection and a penchant for self-destruction. Monk's ire is meted out at his writing students and co-workers with acrid wit. His most acerbic rhetoric is directed at authors who write "trashy novels" stereotyping blacks as illiterate thugs who routinely murder each other or police. Meeting with his book agent, Arthur (John Ortiz) Monk rants against best-selling author, Sintara Golden (the always magnificent Issa Rae) as a sell-out for writing a novel that plays to racial stereotypes. Arthur agrees with Monk but reminds him he needs to write something that will sell. Monk get's called back home by his sister, Lisa, to help out with their mother (beautifully portrayed by Leslie Uggams) who is suffering from dementia. Unexpectedly, Lisa suffers a fatal heart attack which leads to Cliff returning to Boston for their sister's funeral. Monk channels his grief and frustration into dashing out a quick novel that appropriates the material he vehemently abhorred in Sintara's novel and sends it to his agent. No surprise the manuscript titled "Fuck" sells quickly along with a bidding war for its movie rights. Monk gets selected as a judge on a small literary panel to merit the year's best novel. Sintara was also selected as a judge. Monk's novel "Fuck" written under a nom de plum is one of the submissions. The only two dissenting votes against the "pandering" novel Fuck are from Monk and Sintara. The three white panelists all praise the novel's rawness. The exceptional ensemble cast radiates intelligence within absurdist situations. In addition to a best picture nomination, Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K Brown received nods for acting.  The movie deservedly came away with its win for best original screenplay in part for making a mockery of grandstanding liberals. The film delights in skewering societal hypocrisy. And, there are tender moments of familial affection and attempts at human connection. "This idea of purity, and you're never compromised, and you're always politically 'woke' and all that stuff, you should get over that quickly. The world is messy; there are ambiguities."(B. Obama)