REVIEW: Jeffrey Wright infuses 'American Fiction' satire with smart performance

Unemployed actors turn to YouTube to get screen time. But writers? Where do they go if the book deals aren’t coming in?

That’s the dilemma Thelonious “Monk” Ellison faces in “American Fiction,” when his novels tank and his teaching career is at a standstill. At a book fair, he notices who draws the crowd: a street-heavy story called “We’s Lives in Da Ghetto.”

The author is someone with a prestigious background, not a tough life in the inner city. Does he sell out and follow her lead? Or does he rail against stereotypes and plot a different course?

It’s obvious what sells but director Cord Jefferson makes the journey so compelling you won’t be able to guess how Ellison wraps it up.

With Jeffrey Wright as the torn writer, “Fiction” is even more intriguing. He can play both offended and offensive with equal ease and isn’t above sinking low for a shot at success. Life gets sticky, however, when eager readers want to know more about his alias, Stagg R. Leigh, and that tough upbringing.

In contrast, we see Ellison’s family – successful siblings and a mother dealing with dementia. When Leigh’s book is short-listed for an award, life becomes complicated and a crisis of conscience for its author.

Jefferson, adapting Percival Everett’s novel, “Erasure,” doesn’t cut anyone breaks. Sinatra Golden (Issa Rae), the woman behind “Da Ghetto,” has answers to his pointed questions and isn’t about to say she wrote it for financial reasons. Instead, she says she based it on interviews and is giving voice to another segment of society.

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Ellison doesn’t have the same out. He wants the money; he doesn’t want the backlash that comes from writing Black stereotypes. So, he plays the game, agreeing to phone interviews and concocting a colorful past for Leigh – one that could easily be checked.

To complicate matters, there’s a hot director (nicely played by Adam Brody) who’s interested in turning the book into a film.

At home, mom (Leslie Uggams) isn’t getting any better and Monk’s siblings (Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown) are pushing him to take a stand.

Wright is so good at countering all the forces you wonder when his meltdown will occur. Reminiscent of other imposter stories, “American Fiction” manages to take on both the literary world’s fascination with newly discovered talent and the desire by established writers to remain relevant. Jefferson forces his leading character’s hand and gets a Wright we haven’t seen before.

Gem-like performances from Rae, Ross and Brown add to the film’s luster. “American Fiction” has “VEEP”-like tendencies and a resolution that says there’s a price to pay for messing with the faux status quo.