After working on the scripts for many beloved shows, such as “The Good Place” and “Watchmen,” Cord Jefferson made his foray into the world of cinema with “American Fiction” to notable success. Currently, his debut feature film, which also gave him his first Oscar a few months ago, stands as the second most-watched movie on Prime Video US.
Based on Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure,” the production has garnered critical acclaim for its incisive examination and critique of the offensive and simplistic tropes prevalent in contemporary African-American literature.
Although it was the least profitable of the 2023 Academy nominees, grossing $23 million worldwide out of an initial budget of $10 million, it was named one of the top 10 films of the year by the American Film Institute.
‘American Fiction’ ranks Top 2 on Prime Video US
American Fiction stood out as the greatest comedy of 2023. Thus, it’s not strange to see it ranked as the No. 2 most-watched movie on Prime Video worldwide.
Remarkably, it has managed to surpass “Road House,” Jake Gyllenhaal’s new trending title, which just confirmed its sequel a few days ago. Nevertheless, it seems quite unlikely that it outshines “The Idea of You,” currently the top picture in every single country where Prime Video is available.
The plot follows Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a novelist who writes academically praised novels about African American culture that sell poorly because, according to the publishers, they’re not “Black enough.” Fed up with the system, Monk hides behind an alias and creates a novel mocking the literary stereotypes expected from Black writers. After submitting it to publishers as a joke, it rapidly becomes a bestseller.
The protagonist is played by Jeffrey Wright, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance. The rest of the cast is star-packed, with names such as Tracee Ellis Ross, Sterling K. Brown, and Leslie Uggams.
Along with the lauded screenwriting from Cord Jefferson, Wright’s performance was the element most applauded by film critics. About his role, he said in an interview with W Magazine: “It felt like a second skin for me, this character and his journey, his relationship to love and family. Monk is in some ways extraordinary, but in other ways ordinary. There was something wonderful about that, and something I hadn’t been asked to play before.”
