Green Book (2018)

Green Book (2018)

8/10

Starring

Viggo Mortensen

Mahershala Ali

Linda Cardellini

Directed by Peter Farrelly

As the movie starts, what first grips you is Viggo Mortensen’s character. Mortensen is bigger and now has an Italian accent. If like me you saw the movie for what it is before knowing it is a biographical story of two friends Tony Lip and Don Shirley, you will be captivated by the dynamic of the two characters. Viggo plays an Italian character and this performance here is one of his best.

The story of this comedy-drama will keep you engaged, no dull scenes or dragging of feet events. Just a fine movie to see. It is over two-hours and you will not notice the time fly by. The story has a happy ending feel, so yes it will be a predictable ride.

The movie draws inspiration from a the true story of a tour of the Deep South in America in the early 1960s.

The tour involved African-American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) who is on this tour with his band (all white). The person hired to care for him was Italian American club bouncer Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen).

I was not born in the 60s so I have no idea how deep the racism was back then, but movies like this makes me grateful for the fight that has been done to give me the freedom I have now. During that time, going for his tour was risky for Shirley and he needed a driver who can also act as a bodyguard. The name of the movie Green Book is from a book in the 60s which has the all the stops (like hotels, dinners and restaurants) in the Deep South where a black person can go and not be bothered.

We get to see their relationship grow, and the challenges that many of us would not like to be in, faced by being black and going on tour in the Deep South.

The movie was both a critical and commercial success. Making over $320 million based on a $23 million budget. The director Peter Farrelly is a known name and has been behind many comedy movies we have seen over the years, like Dumb and Dumber (1994), There's Something About Mary (1998), Osmosis Jones (2001) and Dumb and Dumber To (2014).

Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor at Academy Awards, BAFTA, Critics' Choice Movie Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

We have to be honest for over a decade now the Oscars are not the best places to go searching for good movies to watch. When I heard about Green Book winning, Best Picture and Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, I still was not convinced to see it. It was last week when a good friend suggested it to me during this Covid-19 lock-down that I got the privilege of seeing one of the most captivating and funny movies I have seen in a long time.

It is a nice movie you should also see during this lock-down.