‘Is God Is’ is an Awfully Discomforting Revenge Thriller

May 11, 2026

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Well… IS God is? (PHOTO CREDIT: Patti Perret
© 2026 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Starring: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, Josiah Cross

Director: Aleshea Harris

Running Time: 100 Minutes

Rating: R for Extreme Violence and Unfettered Language

Release Date: May 15, 2026 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) have only had themselves to rely on ever since their dad (Sterling K. Brown) set their mom Ruby (Vivica A. Fox) on fire in a bathtub when they were little girls. The attack left burn marks up and down Rachine’s arm and all over Anaia’s face, leading the rest of the world to look down upon them as ugly outcasts. It also left their mom dead… or so they thought until one day when Ruby summons them and gives them a mission: kill their daddy. So they head out on their odyssey of revenge, encountering a colorfully alarming cast of new wives (Erika Alexander, Janelle Monáe) and half-siblings along the way. They’re frequently warned that their vengeance is just not worth it, but the pull to finally eliminate this monster is hard to resist.

What Made an Impression?: How Did It Get This Evil?: I thought Is God Is was going to be more stylized. The trailer certainly made it seem that way, and it’s a common tactic for making a premise like this more palatable. But instead, it’s a much, much more difficult watch. I wouldn’t exactly call it as realistic as possible, but it does force you to confront an environment where domestic violence is inescapable.
What’s the Takeaway?: With its unflinching approach to the subject matter, one would hope (or at least I would hope) that there could be an effort towards profundity. So what is the overarching message of Is God Is? Is it that vengeance destroys everyone caught in its trail? Is it that it’s better to escape the cycle of violence when you have the chance? Or is it that sometimes you inexplicably can’t escape even if you want to? There are elements of all of that here, but I’d be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what writer/director Aleshea Harris (adapting her play of the same name) wants to send us off with. Perhaps that confusion is the point. If so, it might be more frightening than she reckoned for.
Like They’re Going to Explode: So when I bemoaned this movie’s lack of stylization, I kind of lied. Or rather, I omitted just how over-the-top some of the performances are. Although maybe that’s not stylization, but instead just how some people would really behave in this scenario. Either way, watching the likes of Vivica A. Fox, Mykelti Williamson, and Janelle Monáe chew up the set like we know they can is easily the most enjoyable element of this movie. As the leads, Young and Johnson are required to be a little subdued, though they do have fun with their telepathic twin communication. Sterling K. Brown has quite a time biting into a rare opportunity to play the villain, but it’s Erika Alexander as a God-fearing jilted wife who leaves the biggest impression of “What the heck is going on here?” It’s what I’ll choose to remember more than the utter despair.

Is God Is is Recommended If You Like: Lifetime movies and ’70s revenge flicks

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Burn Scars

‘American Fiction’ is a Relentless Satire, and Quite a Bit More

December 12, 2023

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

A Fictional American Man (CREDIT: Claire Folger/© 2023 Orion Releasing LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Sterling K. Brown, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Raymond Anthony Thomas, Issa Rae, Adam Brody, Keith David

Director: Cord Jefferson

Running Time: 117 Minutes

Rating: R for Angry and Literate Profanity

Release Date: December 15, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Thelonius “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) just can’t believe the state of the literary industry. Publishers say they want books by Black authors. He’s a Black author, but they don’t want his books! What they really mean is that they want stereotypical stories about economic disparity that performative white liberals will lap up to prove their progressive bona fides. So Monk comes up with a little satirical trick in which he anonymously writes “My Pafology,” the most cliched Black trauma novel possible, while pretending to be a fugitive felon. And of course, it quickly becomes the most in-demand thing he’s ever written. But will he slip too far into his new persona? Meanwhile, he and his sister Lisa (Tracee Ellis Ross) and brother Cliff (Sterling K. Brown) have to care for their widowed mother Agnes (Leslie Uggams) as she slips into dementia.

What Made an Impression?: The Expected & The Unexpected: American Fiction pulls off one of my favorite cinematic tricks: it’s exactly the movie that the trailers sell it as, while also being completely something else. You don’t have to be Black to understand the righteous fury that writer/director Cord Jefferson is smuggling into his characterization of Monk, you just have to be paying attention. From the get-go, the satire is brazen and LOL-worthy. I was hoping for all of that to be true. But I was completely unprepared for how much time we end up spending with Monk’s mom and siblings. And I’m not complaining, because this is also perhaps the most affecting and deeply felt family drama of the year.
A Self-Righteous Struggle: Monk could’ve easily been a blank slate of a personality who just stares in disbelief at every outrageous twist and turn. And if that were the case, the movie he’s in would’ve been just as hilarious. But instead, it’s a little more complicated, and wonderfully so. Instead of laughing off the success of “My Pafology,” he takes every one of its triumphs as a personal affront. His frustrations with performative allyship are well-founded, but he doesn’t account for taste. Perfectly decent people of all races like these books just fine without making a big deal out of the state of the world. But Monk just can’t let things go without a fight. He always leads with his anger to the point that it ruins every relationship with whomever doesn’t have the patience to deal with him.
Remaining Clear-sighted: In keeping with the theme of surprise, the most important lesson of American Fiction is not what I was expecting. Perhaps I shouldn’t be too shocked, since the racial satire, while on-target, wasn’t exactly new. So instead, what really stuck with me was the importance of clear-sightedness. That is to say, the characters who focus on what’s really important are the ones who are also the most satisfied and at peace. In that regard, the Ellisons’ longtime housekeeper Lorraine (Myra Lucretia Taylor) is an absolute angel. She isn’t blind to the strife among the people in her care, but all she has to offer them is unconditional love. And then there’s Adam Brody as a slick movie producer who can’t wait to option the story of an actual real-life felon. At first, he seems just as awful as the patronizing publishers. But when Monk lets him in on the truth a bit more, he pivots to another idea. True, he might be just as opportunistic as ever, but taking advantage of an opportunity isn’t exactly a bad thing when you’re honest and enthusiastic. The Monks of the world would benefit from being tempered by this realization.

American Fiction is Recommended If You Like: Sorry to Bother You, Undercover Brother, Thanksgiving dinner

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 Fake Felons