This wicked satire from first-time feature writer/director Cord Jefferson is a scathing and hilarious commentary on white America’s stereotype-fueled image of African Americans and also an absolute tour de force for Jeffrey Wright in his best performance to date. He stars as author ‘Monk’ Ellison, who, after years of earning middling attention for his higher-brow novels, agrees to craft (under a wink-and-nod pseudonym) a mocking, heavily stereotypical ‘Black’ book about crime and poverty. Naturally, it’s an instant hit and sets the literary world on fire, much to Monk’s chagrin. The commentary is sharper than a surgeon’s scalpel and just as pointed. It’s timely, brilliant, and easily among the best films of the year. 4.5/5 stars
