American fiction masterfully mashes up Tootsie and Adaptation. I’ve gotten some pushback on the Tootsie element, but Jeffrey Wright plays a talented artist who can’t generate any interest in his work, so he creates a non-existent identity. Then he gets wrapped up in romance, and the lies around a false life spiral. It even has a touch of The Big Clock or its remake Against All Odds, where Wright sits on a panel considering an award for his own false identity. Tootsie has Bill Murray as a smaller but pivotal character in what may be one of his best roles and AF has Sterling K Brown come out of nowhere and crush it. Jeffrey Wright finds nuance on multiple fronts. Whether it is the emotional moments with family or the professional insanity, he finds another layer. And as someone who has been there, Leslie Uggams should have been nominated. This is perhaps a large chunk of the film that does not get as much ink. The family dramedy element is particularly poignant. It fires on all cylinders until the final few minutes. At that point it goes for an unconventional complex ending that feels more forced and facile than deep. This is where it leans heavy on Adaptation, but not successfully. But outside of that, fantastic.
Sloves' Rants
I dug it…but as a friend said, “It feels like something that should’ve been made long ago…” and I agree. For me, the “bite” of it really…wasn’t. I am sure that’s because of the times in which we are living –. You know.