While one should cut first time writer/director Cord Jefferson a moderate amount of slack for this being his initial foray into film making, "American Fiction" is still a most unremarkable affair. Struggle as hard as I might I just do not see how this combination of heavy handed satire and not very hard hitting family conflict is one of the best picture nominees, even with the extended format. Nor do I see how in any thespian universe Stirling Brown's good but severely truncated turn garners a best supporting Oscar nomination over Charles Melton's brilliant study of arrested development in "May/December". (Jeffrey Wright's selection over, say, DeCaprio is, of course, more defensible). Also not helping matters are undistinguished, HBO style cinematography, needless establishing shots of Boston and too many dull, interior spaces, all giving the thing a prestigious, TV movie-ish feel, kind of like Hallmark when it was the hall of fame and not the channel. If it were not for very good acting from the entire cast, for which i assume Jefferson made a contribution, it would barely deserve mention. Give it a C plus.