American Fiction is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

For in-depth thoughts on American Fiction, please see my colleague Brandon Lewis’s review from its original TIFF debut here.

Video Quality

American Fiction comes to Blu-Ray with a sterling 1080p transfer which captures the film perfectly. The natural color palette radiates throughout the film with the seaside locale that houses most of the story. There are notable pops of color in elements of the clothing, production design, and landscapes. Black levels hold up favorably with no major instances of black crush present. Digital noise and banding are not much of an issue with this release. The amount of distinct clarity and detail present on this Blu-Ray makes for a terrific viewing experience. Subtle details on faces are amazingly clear and fine textures such as facial hair hold up immensely well both in close-ups and long shots. This is a great presentation from Warner Bros.

Audio Quality

This disc comes equipped with an effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio presentation that allows this world to feel lived in. There are elements in this track that are enveloping even though this story is far from an action-packed one. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the more active crowd scenes to the dialogue-driven scenes filled with subtle inflections. Dialogue is presented clearly without ever being overshadowed by any of the competing sonic elements.

The sound design of this film is not very complex, but the implementation of environmental sounds is executed very effectively. The mix brings this film to life with the perfect engagement of all the channels. The score brings the right atmosphere to this film which comes through with nice fidelity. The low end complements with some texture when it calls for it. Warner Bros. has done a faithful job with this one. Optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles are provided.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc.

Final Thoughts

American Fiction is a funny film with numerous amusing insights, but it does feel somewhat toothless in the grand scheme of things. The feature is based on a book from over two decades ago, and it feels like it. Many of the issues being addressed feel dated compared to actual modern struggles for Black creatives. The film does a fine job of what it is attempting to do, but it feels like it is trying to play for a white audience to feel good about themselves for liking it. The film makes up for some shortcomings with some great performances, but it has more shortcomings than its critical acclaim would have you believe. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a terrific A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. Recommended

American Fiction is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.