Director: Peter Farrelly
Writer: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly (Screenplay)
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Sebastian Maniscalco, Dimitier D Marinov, Mike Hatton
Plot: A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.
Tagline – Inspired by a True Friendship
Runtime: 2 Hours 10 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict: Great Story of Friendship
Story: Green Book starts when Italian-American Tony Lip (Mortensen) sees the club he is working at close down for a couple of months, needing to find a job, he gets connected to Dr Don Shirley (Ali) who requires a driver for a tour of the deep south in 1960s America.
While on tour it is clear the two have their differences, with Tony not being fond of black people and believing Dr Don should know about black musicians, and Dr Don wanting to see Tony learn to be more accepting to people and carry himself more professionally in everyday life.
Thoughts on Green Book
Characters – Tony Lip has been a hired hand in the nightclub scene for years in New York, he has opinions on people that he holds in which does include his racist side, he is facing a couple of months without work which leads him to become a driver for a black musician going on tour in the deep south, Tony must put his opinions aside to get paid working for a man that will give him finically security. Dr Don Shirley is the musician that has built up a reputation for his ability on the piano, he hires Tony to be his driver, he carries himself proudly never letting the racist behavior drag him down, as he looks to improve Tony’s behavior. Most of the film follows the two on their journey with the problems they are facing along the way. Dolores is the wife of Tony that stays home while the journey is happening, supporting her husband with his decision.
Performances – Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali both give wonderful performances, which when you see the calibre of actor you are dealing with, you would expect, they both show the characters the weaknesses and strengths, so we can understand the struggles they must get through during the film. when it comes to the supporting cast everyone is good, though they don’t have much to do.
Story – The story follows two men from different backgrounds going on music tour as they teach each other life lessons as they become lifelong friends. We go through the segregation problems that were still going on through America in the 1960s and how both men dealt with the problems in their own ways. This is another example of just how behind America was about treating people equal no matter what their skin color or talent is. While this is a personal story between two men, it is slow paced and might not be for everyone to enjoy.
Biopic/Comedy – The biopic ide of the story shows us just how the two men became friends even though they came from different backgrounds, while the comedy is basic without being as good as it could have been.
Settings – The film takes us through the South of America where the racial segregation was still happening, which gives us a road trip feeling through the film.
Scene of the Movie – Bar performance.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is the same sort America was behind with racial segregation again.
Final Thoughts – This is a good friendship movie, it has wonderful performances without being anything overly fresh with its ideas.
Overall: Simple friendship movie.
Rating
