Estrelas
Thelonious "Monk" Ellison is a highly intelligent African-American upper-class writer and professor in Los Angeles. His novels receive academic praise, but sell poorly, and publishers reject his lates…
Estrelas
Thelonious "Monk" Ellison is a highly intelligent African-American upper-class writer and professor in Los Angeles. His novels receive academic praise, but sell poorly, and publishers reject his latest manuscript for not being "black enough". His university places him on temporary leave due to his brashness with students over racial issues and suggests he attend a literary seminar and spend time with family in his hometown, Boston. At the seminar, his panel is poorly attended, yet there is a packed room for an interview with Sintara Golden, whose bestselling novel We's Lives in Da Ghetto panders to black stereotypes. In Boston, Monk bonds with his mother Agnes, who shows signs of Alzheimer's disease, and sister Lisa, a physician. While having drinks with Monk, Lisa suffers a heart attack and later dies in the hospital. Monk's estranged brother, Cliff, a plastic surgeon, attends Lisa's funeral. Cliff is divorced after his wife caught him cheating with a man; he now engages in frequent drug use and casual sex. Monk meets and starts dating Coraline, a lawyer living across the street. Frustrated by Sintara's success and the costs of care for his mother, Monk writes My Pafology, a satirical novel mocking the literary clichés expected from black writers: melodramatic plots, deadbeat dads, gang violence, drugs. After submitting it to publishers out of contempt, he is shocked to be offered a $750,000 advance, and his agent Arthur convinces him to adopt the persona of former convict "Stagg R. Leigh". As "Stagg", Monk is offered a movie deal from producer Wiley. In response to publishing executives' insulting comments, Monk tries to sabotage the deal by demanding the title be changed to Fuck. Unexpectedly, the executives agree. Monk is invited to help judge the New England Book Association's Literary Award as part of a "diversity push", and he reluctantly accepts. A fellow judge is Sintara, and Monk is surprised to learn she shares many of his views. Agnes moves into an assisted-living facility, but adapts poorly. Cliff briefly returns to Boston, but leaves after Agnes makes a homophobic remark. Fuck becomes a bestseller. Coraline, Cliff, and the public remain unaware that "Stagg" is Monk, and the FBI contacts the publisher, believing Stagg is a fugitive, as he claimed in interviews. On family-housekeeper Lorraine's wedding day, Monk finds Cliff living in Agnes's beach house with two other men: Cliff never left Boston and has been partying and doing drugs, but Lorraine is happy to have him attend the wedding. At the reception, Monk and Cliff discuss the impact of their father's suicide, and Cliff encourages Monk to let people "love all of him." Monk's publisher submits Fuck for the literary award, forcing him to judge his own novel. The panel's white Limousine liberal judges rave over Fuck, though Sintara calls it "pandering." Monk agrees, but later argues that Sintara's book is "trauma porn" and inauthentic to her African-American middle-class background. Sintara argues that she extensively researched her book by interviewing voiceless people, was "giving the market what it wants," and that it is not her fault if white readers formed stereotypes from her book. Monk is even more offended when he finds that Coraline enjoyed reading Fuck; they argue and break up. At the award ceremony, Fuck is announced as the winner. Monk goes onstage and says he has a confession to make. The screen cuts to black, and the story is revealed to be Monk's screenplay based on his experiences, written for Wiley's production company as an alternative to the Fuck film adaptation. Monk has not revealed his identity to the public and is still separated from Coraline. Wiley likes the screenplay but asks Monk to write a different ending. Monk proposes one with his running away from the ceremony to apologize to his ex-girlfriend. Wiley doesn't like this, as it is closer to romantic comedy. Monk then suggests one where police, believing Monk to be a wanted criminal holding a gun, fatally shoot him at the ceremony. Much to Monk's dismay, Wiley (also busy filming blaxploitation film Plantation Annihilation) loves it, and the film moves into production. Monk drives away with Cliff after he and one of Wiley's actors, playing a slave, acknowledge each other.
Estrelas
Documentary
Film Details
Thelonious "Monk" Ellison is a highly intelligent African-American upper-class writer and professor in Los Angeles. His novels receive academic praise, but sell poorly, and publishers reject his latest manuscript for not being "black enough". His university places him on temporary leave due to his brashness with students over racial issues and suggests he attend a literary seminar and spend time with family in his hometown, Boston.
At the seminar, his panel is poorly attended, yet there is a packed room for an interview with Sintara Golden, whose bestselling novel We's Lives in Da Ghetto panders to black stereotypes. In Boston, Monk bonds with his mother Agnes, who shows signs of Alzheimer's disease, and sister Lisa, a physician. While having drinks with Monk, Lisa suffers a heart attack and later dies in the hospital.
Monk's estranged brother, Cliff, a plastic surgeon, attends Lisa's funeral. Cliff is divorced after his wife caught him cheating with a man; he now engages in frequent drug use and casual sex. Monk meets and starts dating Coraline, a lawyer living across the street.
Frustrated by Sintara's success and the costs of care for his mother, Monk writes My Pafology, a satirical novel mocking the literary clichés expected from black writers: melodramatic plots, deadbeat dads, gang violence, drugs. After submitting it to publishers out of contempt, he is shocked to be offered a $750,000 advance, and his agent Arthur convinces him to adopt the persona of former convict "Stagg R. Leigh".
As "Stagg", Monk is offered a movie deal from producer Wiley. In response to publishing executives' insulting comments, Monk tries to sabotage the deal by demanding the title be changed to Fuck. Unexpectedly, the executives agree.
Monk is invited to help judge the New England Book Association's Literary Award as part of a "diversity push", and he reluctantly accepts. A fellow judge is Sintara, and Monk is surprised to learn she shares many of his views. Agnes moves into an assisted-living facility, but adapts poorly.
Cliff briefly returns to Boston, but leaves after Agnes makes a homophobic remark. Fuck becomes a bestseller. Coraline, Cliff, and the public remain unaware that "Stagg" is Monk, and the FBI contacts the publisher, believing Stagg is a fugitive, as he claimed in interviews.
On family-housekeeper Lorraine's wedding day, Monk finds Cliff living in Agnes's beach house with two other men: Cliff never left Boston and has been partying and doing drugs, but Lorraine is happy to have him attend the wedding. At the reception, Monk and Cliff discuss the impact of their father's suicide, and Cliff encourages Monk to let people "love all of him." Monk's publisher submits Fuck for the literary award, forcing him to judge his own novel. The panel's white Limousine liberal judges rave over Fuck, though Sintara calls it "pandering." Monk agrees, but later argues that Sintara's book is "trauma porn" and inauthentic to her African-American middle-class background.
Sintara argues that she extensively researched her book by interviewing voiceless people, was "giving the market what it wants," and that it is not her fault if white readers formed stereotypes from her book. Monk is even more offended when he finds that Coraline enjoyed reading Fuck; they argue and break up. At the award ceremony, Fuck is announced as the winner.
Monk goes onstage and says he has a confession to make. The screen cuts to black, and the story is revealed to be Monk's screenplay based on his experiences, written for Wiley's production company as an alternative to the Fuck film adaptation. Monk has not revealed his identity to the public and is still separated from Coraline.
Wiley likes the screenplay but asks Monk to write a different ending. Monk proposes one with his running away from the ceremony to apologize to his ex-girlfriend. Wiley doesn't like this, as it is closer to romantic comedy.
Monk then suggests one where police, believing Monk to be a wanted criminal holding a gun, fatally shoot him at the ceremony. Much to Monk's dismay, Wiley (also busy filming blaxploitation film Plantation Annihilation) loves it, and the film moves into production. Monk drives away with Cliff after he and one of Wiley's actors, playing a slave, acknowledge each other..