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Green Book
Racial tension was at its zenith in the 1960's and has been the canvas for some really intriguing cinematic fare, but rarely has a look at this turbulent period in American history been presented on such an original canvas as it is in 2018's Green Book, an atmospheric and thoughtful fact based drama that actually looks at bigotry from an angle that consistently challenges and engages the viewer.
Two time Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen is a lock for a third nomination playing Tony Lip, an out of work nightclub bouncer in 1962 Brooklyn who gets hired by a classically trained black pianist named Dr. Don Shirley (Oscar winner Mahershala Ali) to be his driver for a concert tour in the deep south.
On the surface, the premise appears to be a sort of a variation on Driving Miss Daisy, but this story is so much richer, primarily because of the vast differences in the protagonists that was not expected in a story like this. Tony Lip is a Brooklyn goombah whose limited vocabulary includes a lot of "dems" and "dose" and we learn immediately how he feels about black people when we see him throw away two glasses that his wife (Linda Cardellini) served lemonade in to a pair of black repairman. Dr. Shirley is a brilliant accomplished musician who has earned two doctorate degrees, urbane, sophisticated, and initially appears to turn a blind eye to the bigotry that surrounds him. If this movie had actually been made in 1962, no one but Sidney Poitier would have played this part.
For the uninitiated, the Green Book was a reference guide published during the 1960's that was a guide for hotels and restaurants in the south where black people are welcomed, or as they are usually referred to here, "coloreds." There is one incredible chapter near the film's climax where the doctor arrives for a concert he is scheduled to perform in Birmingham, but he is not allowed to dine in the hotel's dining room. Tony and Dr. Shirley do have two very different encounters with police during the course of the story, which I expected, but the way both encounters played out was completely unexpected.
I was also impressed by the screenplay's treatment of the two central characters. Tony Lip was laid out before us in the course of a scene or two and we knew absolutely everything there was to know about the guy. Dr. Shirley's character was carefully and methodically revealed with each scene and every time we thought we had learned everything we were supposed to know, something new would come to light. Watching the slow boil of the relationship between these two people was an absolute joy. I loved watching Tony's face the first time he hears Dr. Shirley play or when Tony introduces Dr. Shirley to the joys of Kentucky Fried Chicken...in Kentucky no less!
I'm still scratching my head in disbelief that this film was directed by Peter Farrelly, one of the creative forces behind films like Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, and Me, Myself and Irene who displays a genuine talent behind the camera for something other than raunchy bathroom humor. Farrelly, with the aid of a crack technical team, beautifully recreates the south in the 1960's with flawless attention to period detail and gets powerhouse performances from Mortensen and Ali, which will probably both earn Oscar nominations. Bouquets should also go to cinematographer Sean Porter and to Kris Bowers, who did all of Ali's incredible piano work. An arresting and unique approach to a familiar cinematic premise that could wreak havoc with the emotions.
Racial tension was at its zenith in the 1960's and has been the canvas for some really intriguing cinematic fare, but rarely has a look at this turbulent period in American history been presented on such an original canvas as it is in 2018's Green Book, an atmospheric and thoughtful fact based drama that actually looks at bigotry from an angle that consistently challenges and engages the viewer.
Two time Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen is a lock for a third nomination playing Tony Lip, an out of work nightclub bouncer in 1962 Brooklyn who gets hired by a classically trained black pianist named Dr. Don Shirley (Oscar winner Mahershala Ali) to be his driver for a concert tour in the deep south.
On the surface, the premise appears to be a sort of a variation on Driving Miss Daisy, but this story is so much richer, primarily because of the vast differences in the protagonists that was not expected in a story like this. Tony Lip is a Brooklyn goombah whose limited vocabulary includes a lot of "dems" and "dose" and we learn immediately how he feels about black people when we see him throw away two glasses that his wife (Linda Cardellini) served lemonade in to a pair of black repairman. Dr. Shirley is a brilliant accomplished musician who has earned two doctorate degrees, urbane, sophisticated, and initially appears to turn a blind eye to the bigotry that surrounds him. If this movie had actually been made in 1962, no one but Sidney Poitier would have played this part.
For the uninitiated, the Green Book was a reference guide published during the 1960's that was a guide for hotels and restaurants in the south where black people are welcomed, or as they are usually referred to here, "coloreds." There is one incredible chapter near the film's climax where the doctor arrives for a concert he is scheduled to perform in Birmingham, but he is not allowed to dine in the hotel's dining room. Tony and Dr. Shirley do have two very different encounters with police during the course of the story, which I expected, but the way both encounters played out was completely unexpected.
I was also impressed by the screenplay's treatment of the two central characters. Tony Lip was laid out before us in the course of a scene or two and we knew absolutely everything there was to know about the guy. Dr. Shirley's character was carefully and methodically revealed with each scene and every time we thought we had learned everything we were supposed to know, something new would come to light. Watching the slow boil of the relationship between these two people was an absolute joy. I loved watching Tony's face the first time he hears Dr. Shirley play or when Tony introduces Dr. Shirley to the joys of Kentucky Fried Chicken...in Kentucky no less!
I'm still scratching my head in disbelief that this film was directed by Peter Farrelly, one of the creative forces behind films like Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, and Me, Myself and Irene who displays a genuine talent behind the camera for something other than raunchy bathroom humor. Farrelly, with the aid of a crack technical team, beautifully recreates the south in the 1960's with flawless attention to period detail and gets powerhouse performances from Mortensen and Ali, which will probably both earn Oscar nominations. Bouquets should also go to cinematographer Sean Porter and to Kris Bowers, who did all of Ali's incredible piano work. An arresting and unique approach to a familiar cinematic premise that could wreak havoc with the emotions.