Cinepals - American Fiction Reaction & Review!

Episode Date: March 29, 2024

Jaby and Cortney react to American Fiction (2023), which follows Jeffrey Wright (The Batman, Westworld, What If...?) as Monk, an aspiring writer frustrated with the exploitation of Black culture by mainstream media, takes matters into his own hands. Using a pseudonym, he pens a provocative novel that thrusts him into a realm of hypocrisy and chaos, challenging the conventions he despises within the entertainment world.  American Fiction also stars Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish, The High Note, Girlfriends), John Ortiz (Silver Linings Playbook, American Gangster, Bumblebee), Leslie Uggams (Fallout, Deadpool 2, Roots), Erika Alexander (Get Out, Wu-Tang, An American Saga, Living Single), Adam Brody (Shazam!, The OC, Scream), Keith David (Nope, The Princess and the Frog, Rick and Morty), Issa Rae (Barbie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Insecure), Sterling K. Brown (Invincible, This Is Us, Solar Opposites) Watch the full length reaction to the movie on our Patreon https://www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay or join us for the cutdown reaction on YouTube https://www.YouTube.com/@CinePals SOCIAL MEDIA: ~CINEPALS~ YouTube: @CinePals Insta: https://instagram.com/TheCinePals Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCinePals ~CORTNEY WRIGHT~ TWITTER: @CortneySWright INSTAGRAM: @CortneyScottWright

Sinha. Pals. What's going on, everyone? I'm Jabby Kauway, joined by Courtney Scott Wright. Hello, hello. We're watching American fiction. Now, from the time that I saw this trailer, I was like, I want to do a reaction to this, and I want to do this with Courtney.

I feel like you're the perfect person to do this with. All right, let's jump into this. Here we go. Oh, so we don't know if he gets Coraline back. I don't think he does. No, Coraline was like, deuses. What would you do? You find out all that.

What would you do? I think I probably would have heard him out At least would have heard him out Like if he said the real Coraline wouldn't answer my phone off I would have heard him out I can't say that you know We would have got back together But would he maybe been friends

And found our way to something Yeah I was fine with that actually Because like my assumption is that she just Was done with him Yeah my assumption is she's an intelligent woman And she has a lot going on in her life She deals with enough stuff She just got rid of that one crazy dude

Why are you gonna pick up another crazy dude So I'm not mad at her I absolutely believe in her and appreciate her response, and it's not cliche. I just want a happy, you know, I just want a romantic ending, and it's people are happy and in love. How'd you feel about the movie? I really liked it. There were moments where I found myself laughing initially, and then I'm like, oh no, I'm like, why am I laughing? That's not funny.

When Cliff was dancing with his mom and it was heartbreaking, but in the moment, I was like, this is a comedy, right? Yeah. It's not, but it's a dark comedy. And then when you saw the realization, the crushing look on his face, it's like, no, it's not funny. And we shouldn't be laughing at that. But there are moments like the publishers, when he, first of all, he wrote it and it's called My Pophology. And then he wants to change it to fuck. And they're like, we love it.

It's edgy. That was stupid funny. Well, I think that both things can be true. It could be funny, but also upsetting. Yes. You know, like when the mom said that, I laughed, I think, oh, I don't remember if I laugh. You could roll back the tape and find out. But, like, I think I thought that was funny, but it was also upsetting.

Sterling K. Brown did such an incredible job. It was amazing. We already know he's an incredible actor. To see him in this, which is a different role for him in the sense of, like, the angry brother's like, man, fuck you. What you're doing? Like, keep walking Phillip or whatever that dude's name was on the beach. Yeah. Like, that was really fun to see that.

I like the film overall. It was definitely thought provoking. You know how you were talking about the concept of the stereotype and the idea of, like, Like what he, you know, like him writing this book as a quote unquote, fuck you to the industry that is looking to bring about like trauma porn, as they called it in the movie. Half the time I'm looking at some of the things that are coming out and it's just only painful, only things that are like the slaves, the drug dealers, the, you know, like terrible childhood and, you know, rising up from the street. And I'm not saying those things don't happen. and I'm not saying that there isn't a celebration in, could be a celebration in that story.

But I'm saying, I understand what he was saying in terms of like, we could be more. The humor of this is the fact that he was like, this is a fuck you to this industry. And that the industry ate it up. I'm almost like, bro, how did you not know that that's going to happen? He's too smart for his own good.

He just thinks he's making a joke. He thinks everyone else is as smart as he is. There was someone I talked to about this a while ago. mind who's an actor, I was complaining about how this, sometimes it just feels like they're trying to hit a diversity quota and that's all that's going on. And I feel like that hurts content sometimes when you're just aiming for that and not a good story. And he's like, look, man, I'm just happy to get work. And I felt that. I'm like, I get it. I understand because like, I know what it's like to come up and struggle. You know, I remember doing a commercial audition for T-Mobile or something. The casting

director's like, why don't you throw yourself on? I'm like, I don't think I'm going to book this. I think they want a white person she's like no no go ahead do it i did it the casting director was like yo the client you're their favorite person they want someone ethnic they really like you a lot at the end of the day a white person booked that job and i'm like that i could have i i knew that was going to happen and i don't think this is a self-fulfilling prophecy i just know when my chances are strong or not i've seen like oh yeah i can book this one and then i book it like so they actually are looking for someone ethnic to fill the role because i got a bunch of white people they need to figure it out you know what i'm saying there were two things that i did not like and it was

It was the, sometimes it just felt like highly predictable. Like I could see from a mile away where all this was headed. I didn't love the editing, but that's like a thing I feel like only editors would see. The acting was great, though. The acting is phenomenal. Tracy Ellis Ross, I was devastated. I did not see that coming. Yeah.

I was like, no, she's not dead. I loved Lorraine. I loved that everyone had a clear journey. Everyone, the mom, like at the wedding when she was dancing with Cliffs' two partners. Yeah, they had arcs. Yeah. I loved that. Even though we didn't get to see her have a final moment with Cliff,

like you felt like that was something that was in the works. And Lorraine giving him exactly what he needed, coming back from the place where he was like, so you're going to let Lorraine go? First of all, he was done. Second of all, she wasn't the greatest mother. Third of all, even though Lorraine was just the housekeeper, like that's how he saw her.

You're going to let her go. When it came down to someone seeing him, it was Lorraine. in that moment that he had with her when she was like, no, I want you to stay. Your family. It was just so powerful. And even Monk, his character,

he got the ending that I think was right for this film. As much as I would have loved a romantic ending, it was the perfect trajectory of that. I did see it coming. Well, I thought he was going to get arrested.

I didn't think he was going to get shot. But like when you said, how did you know that was going to happen when I say, oh, he's wanted? He's about to lie and say like he's his character. I wanted man. Yeah.

That's how I would have written it. I enjoyed the arcs that a lot of these characters had, and it surprised me a number of times, you know, well, particularly with the sister and then the ending. I was like, those two moments were definitely surprising. And then the white guy in the beach was like... Yeah, no, he was perfect. I loved that this was fresh. This was a new story.

It was, it was classy. I love the way that it was, like, fun. You know what I mean? Like, it wasn't their traditional story, even though there were, there were themes. within it, that could be stereotypical or what have you. It was a different retelling of something that could have totally not been exciting. You guys, thanks so much for hanging out with us. Hopefully enjoy that.

I'm Jabby Kauai. This is Courtney Scott Wright. Peace out.