American Fiction (2023) review

Flustered English professor/writer Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), whose agent Arthur (John Ortiz) can't find a buyer for his latest work (because it's not "Black" enough), is given a "leave of absence" for being confrontational with the students, so he returns to his native Boston where he has to deal with family issues and, as a "joke," writes a "book" (using the pseudonym "Stagg R. Leigh") that plays into the clichés about African-Americans ... but it becomes a best-seller (it's described glowingly as "real" and "raw").  The "satirical" aspect of it is made early on and then the movie proceeds to cudgel it to death (the Caucasian characters are oblivious of their inner prejudices) but where it feels "most comfortable" is looking into Monk's complex private life: his mother Agnes (Leslie Uggams) is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, his sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) dies suddenly, his brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown) has recently come out of the closet and he mishandles his romance with next-door neighbor Coraline (Erika Alexander).  It gets way too 'meta' with its conclusion, although the performances are strong and help compensate: Wright's a phenomenal actor (which I've been saying since Basquiat) and Brown's funny turn as a hard-partying plastic surgeon contrasts nicely with Monk's surliness (both justifiably received Oscar Nominations).  One name it neglects to mention (on purpose?) is that of Iceberg Slim: Pimp is a riveting look into what it's like to "employ" prostitutes and dodge law enforcement ... but I am just a guy from the suburbs, so what do I know?