Summary
American Fiction, an Oscar-winning movie from 2023 with a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, is now a streaming success. Written and directed by Cord Jefferson in his feature debut, based on the 2021 novelErasureby Percival Everett, the film follows a frustrated novelist who writes a stereotypical and satirical “Black” book as a joke, only for it to be misinterpreted as a serious piece of literature and published to critical acclaim and commercial success. Jeffrey Wright leads theAmerican Fictioncastalongside Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, and Leslie Uggams.
Now, months after winning an Academy Award, the film has become a streaming success. For the week of May 16-22,American Fictionranked 10th onReelgood’s Top 10 overall streaming chart and 5th on their Top 10 movies streaming chart. In terms of movies,American Fictionfinished ahead ofThe Idea of You,Unfrosted, andAnyone But You, but was beaten byThe Iron ClawandDune: Part Two. Check out the full Top 10 lists below:
American Fictionis streaming on MGM+ and Prime Video.
American Fiction Was One Of The Best (& Most Overlooked) Movies Of 2023
With rave reactions from critics and audiences,American Fictionwas widely considered one of the best films of 2023, though it hasn’t received quite as much attention as it deserves. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023, whereAmerican Fictionreviewspraised the film for its stellar performances, pointed humor, and insightful storyline. As a result, it has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, and an even stronger 96% score from audiences, who also thoroughly enjoyed its ability to evoke laughter and introspection in equal measure.
American Fiction Ending Explained
Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction is nominated for Best Picture. Here’s what happens at the end of the film and what it means thematically.
American Fictionwent on to receive five nominations at the 2024 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Score, with Jefferson winning for Best Adapted Screenplay. Its performances also received recognition, with Wright nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Brown for Supporting Role. However,American Fictiondidn’t perform as well at the box office compared to its fellow2024 Best Picture nominees.
With $23 million at the box office on a small $10 million budget,American Fictionwas the lowest-grossing movie among the 2024 Best Picture nominees (not counting Netflix’sMaestro), finishing behindAnatomy of Fall($35M),Past Lives($42M),The Holdovers($44M),The Zone of Interest($49M), andKillers of the Flower Moon($157M), not to mentionOppenheimer($976M), andBarbie($1.4B). However, withAmerican Fictionnow becoming a streaming success, it may partially make up for it being previously overlooked at the box office.
American Fiction
Cast
Based on the novel by Percival Everett, American Fiction is a drama film that stars Jeffrey Wright as author and English Professor Thelonious “Monk” Ellison. With his students lacking cultural sensitivity and publishers rejecting his novels, believing them not to be “Black enough,” Monk returns to his hometown where he witnesses a new young Black author who has created an instant best seller. As he attempts to ignore the success of another, he reunites with his family, where tragedy and chaos begin to consume them.
