[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”18589″ img_size=”800×450″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]The Oscars have come and gone and to many the Green Book winning was a huge surprise. I finally got around to watching this film and I totally see why the film won. The film is gripping and entertaining from the opening credits and does not let up until the end. Green Book is an outside the norm for comedy director Peter Farrelly who is known for hits such as There’s Something About Mary, Shallow Hal, and Dumb and Dumber. The film stars Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen and Oscar winner Mahershala Ali. The Green Book is inspired by the real life friendship of New York bouncer and driver Tony ‘Lip’ Vallelonga (Mortensen) and talented musician Doctor Don Shirley (Ali). The film gets its name from the Negro Motorist Green Book which I had no idea existed. The book basically lays out where African American travelers can eat, sleep, and avoid towns where they were not permitted.
The film takes place in New York and then spreads out to parts of the Midwest and deep south as Doctor Shirley looks to embark on a multi city/state tour and needs a driver to look after him and get him to each show on time. Tony is working at the Copacabana night club when it has to close for renovations which forces Tony to look for odd jobs to earn money. Tony has a reputation around New York and word gets to Shirley who wants to hire him. Reluctant at first, Tony accepts and the two begin their road trip together. The story goes about like you would imagine, Tony and Don are two very different people and they are headed to parts of the country that really do not accept either of them especially Doctor Shirley.
Early on you see Tony trying to get to know Don but Don has this way about him and is kind of shut off and very reluctant to let anyone in. Tony tries breaking the ice asking about family and you learn that the life Don chose has alienated him from his brother and it caused his marriage to collapse. Ali plays the role perfect and you can see the emotions through his eyes and mannerisms. Many times Ali does not need to even speak, you just can tell what he is thinking or feeling. Don is a very conflicted individual who feels alone despite “living in a castle” as Tony called it and sitting on a throne. He even tells Tony that white people love him while he is playing cause he makes them feel cultured but soon as he stops they treat him terribly. You see many examples if this during the film.
There are so many scenes in this film of Viggo eating, he must have gained 60 pounds for this role, and one scene particular has them stopping at a KFC in Kentucky. Tony thinks KFC in Kentucky is fresher since its from Kentucky, he assumes all African Americans like chicken to which Don quickly denies that stereotype. Tony persuades Don to try a piece of chicken and the whole exchange is quite hilarious seeing Ali trying to keep crumbs from falling on his blanket and uncertainty of where to dispose the bones. Get used to watching Viggo smoke and eat in this movie cause he does a lot of it. What was so good about this scene though was this was the first time you see Don kind of let his guard down and from there the two men begin to open up more.
Tony and Don build a special friendship and two men who started out complete opposites grow to become like family. I will not spoil the entire movie because you really need to see it for yourself to see how these two come together as friends. Ali does have some funny moments but his role is more the serious, heartfelt role and Viggo is the comedic relief. The film does deal with racial issues but they were pretty mild compared to some other films. It still disgusts me to see it even portrayed on screen though and I still cannot believe there was a book to tell people where they could and couldn’t sleep and eat.
The films leads make this a must see movie for sure and Mortensen and Ali are just pure gold in their roles. The film I felt did a good job capturing the tone of that era and the set pieces were really nice. This film is something you can pop in the Blu-ray player and before you know it the film is over and you are left wanting more. It never dragged for me and it kept me focused at all times. I highly recommend you either buy the movie or rent it and give it a watch.
Score: 4/5
Synopsis: Dr Don Shirley is a world-class African-American pianist, who is about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip, a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZxoko_HC0″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
DC Fanboy! Superman is the greatest comic book character of all time. Favorite movies are Man of Steel, Goonies, Back To the Future
