AMERICAN FICTION (2023) - Movie Review (and the Return of Armond White!)

After more than a year, Armond White returns to Kicking the Seat for a look at Cord Jefferson's AMERICAN FICTION!
Jeffrey Wright stars as Thelonious "Monk" Ellison, a teacher and frustrated author who writes a fake biography of a career criminal and becomes an overnight sensation. The book, meant to be a parody of the kind of Black pathology reveled in by White culture, is adopted by readers everywhere who see it as a gripping and authentic read. This horrifies the author and adds to a heap of problems, including sibling rivalry, a mother with dementia, and a tentative beach house romance.
In this spoilerific episode, Ian and Armond cut through the politics, the pandering, and the pissed-away potential of a film that could have been the next HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE--opting instead to be a gutless Hollywood virtue signal.
Also, stick around 'til the end to find out what movie the guys will talk about next!
Subscribe, like, and comment to the Kicking the Seat TH-cam channel, and check out kickseat.com for written reviews and more content! www.kickseat.com/
Show Links
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Watch the AMERICAN FICTION trailer:
• AMERICAN FICTION | Off...
Read Armond's review of AMERICAN FICTION in The National Review:
www.nationalre...
Also read Armond's review of Zack Snyder's REBEL MOON (mentioned in the show):
www.nationalre...
In preparation for the guys' upcoming review of the COLOR PURPLE remake, watch their joint discussion of Steven Spielberg's 1986 original and D.W. Griffith's ORPHANS OF THE STORM:
• ORPHANS OF THE STORM /...
Order the book that inspired these regular movie chats: Armond's MAKE SPIELBERG GREAT AGAIN:
amzn.to/3rAPK1R
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[@PurpleWarlock]

Thank you. Nice to hear Armond's voice and being able to revisit it these coming holidays.

[@bossbaby5936]

Jeffrey Wright should play Armond White in his inevitable biopic

[@PurpleWarlock]

IIRC Armond said he would prefer either Omari Hardwick or Michael Jai White. :P

[@jimbecarroll5780]

@@PurpleWarlock WISHFUL THINKING... OMARI WOULD HAVE TO GREATLY REDUCE HIS FLAVA AND SWAG TO ACCOMODATE THE BLAND AND DRY PERSONA OF ARNOLD WHITE WONDER 🍞

[@naugello93]

Excellent discussion and of course, I have to echo other comments - it's great to hear from Armond!

[@reinaproductions]

It's a very good film

[@Tinseltine]

Y'all are Crazy. This film is Fire ❤‍🔥

[@KickingtheSeat]

A dumpster fire, to be precise.

[@Dakotahlikesboxing]

Definitely not, you're slow as snail pace if you believe that gargle

[@jdguitar1040]

Last night I saw American Fiction. Jeffrey Wright is definitely a great actor, but in my view he couldn't save this film on his own. I left the theater thinking to myself that AF was a very weak, pale shadow of Forty-Year-Old Version. I've listened to and read a bunch of reviews now, and not one has referenced the similarities between American Fiction and 40 Year-Old-Version. I get the other films referenced in this talk (Hollywood Shuffle, Fear of a Black Hat, the Putney Swope film, etc...), but I'm really surprised that nobody I've read/heard review the film so far mentions its similarities to, and inferiority to, 40 Year-Old-Version.

[@raygsk1]

Storytelling by Todd Solondz is an amazing movie❤.

[@mojo5763]

Sounds like there is a lot of hate in this review

[@timmcPherrin]

100%

[@muckmuckthageneral2691]

Great film, trash review!

[@jimbecarroll5780]

You guess .......