Green Book

2018’s Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly.

Starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Hudson Galloway, Gavin Lyle Foley, Rodolfo Vallelonga, Louis Venere, and Frank Vallelonga.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actor (Viggo Mortensen), Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali), Best Original Screenplay (Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, and Peter Farrelly), and Best Editing (Patrick J. Don Vito).

What is it about?

In 1962 New York City, Italian American Frank Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) finds himself unemployed after a nightclub lays him off. Needing to support his family, Frank is hired by eccentric jazz musician, Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) as a driver and bodyguard for a tour of the American South. With both men having their misconceptions of each other, it sets the stage for genuine learning to take place as they come to an understanding of each other.

Why is it worth seeing?

Green Book has a classical “Oscar Bait” feeling to it. A period piece set in more innocent times (at least they appear that way to those struck by nostalgic inertia), where a couple of disparate characters with differing beliefs go on a journey together and have realizations about each other they couldn’t have possibly had otherwise. Like the 62’ Cadillac Sedan DeVille they pilot, it’s a pretty smooth ride. Even ignoring the controversy surrounding the film- perhaps too smooth?

Green Book was co-written by Nick Vallelonga, the son of Mortensen’s protagonist, Frank Vallelonga. That may explain the saint-like depiction of the character, and how it paves over whatever rough edges he may have had. We may never know what he was really like- but this ain’t it, if we listen to Don Shirley’s family tell the story. Either way, in ways not reflective of actual human growth but instead in screenplay slip ups, his character’s actions are baffling, in that he has his #woke transformation before the pair even hit the road. That was fast!

Look, you don’t need me to tell you that racism is ugly. But does this film know that its also alive and well today? Fellow Best Picture nominee Black KKKlansman (itself a period piece set in the 70’s) understands this- hence the clip of America’s present day Charlottetown streets tearing themselves apart during a black rally (And don’t forget the scathing, Sorry to Bother You). I’m not sure Green Book gets this. Sure, it features a scene where a white character explains to a black man why he should eat fried chicken- but does it explain how standing up against what’s wrong leads to negative consequences? That’s how systemic racism works kids.

Lectures aside, Mortensen and Ali carry the film as best they can. While it would have been nice to have Linda Cardellini do more than fret about in the kitchen (yet another thankless wife/mother role for her), their work is solid as they glide down the highway into the South. With Mortensen’s character able to slide through anything (like he’s a White Saviour), Ali brings a real sense of alienation to his character’s quirks amongst an unprogressive landscape. It’s Driving Mrs Rainman? Like I said, it’s all very smooth, and carries a message that certainly beats hate. Like Bohemian Rhapsody, it’s another Best Picture nominee biopic that features neutered material that might not even be true. Faggetaboutit.

Rating:

3/5

Trailer: Click Here.