Green Book: Movie Review

Funny and moving in all the right places, "Green Book" is a solid film on an unexpected friendship between two men who are complete opposites from each other. While there are rough spots on character development, the overall narrative was as smooth as Don Shirley's amazing piano skills.

It's the 1960s and a talented Black pianist, Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), decides that he will go on a concert tour on the Deep South. This is easier said than done as the area still has deep prejudices towards Blacks. To keep him safe, he hires Tony "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) to be his driver and his body guard. The driver is the complete opposite of Don Shirley. While Don is clean, prim, and proper, Tony is brash, hot-headed, and unabashed. While on the road, the two begin an unlikely friendship that will break racial barriers.

Without looking into the racial background of "Green Book", the film itself is a wonderful piece on brotherly love. There's just something about the distinct polarities of the two lead characters that make every conversation - serious or not - an emotional one. Emotions not of pure drama on every scene but also of laughter and fondness. We couldn't stop ourselves from laughing out loud countless times as Tony Lip or Don Shirley deliver quips towards each other. The script was definitely one of the strongest points in the film. Unsurprisingly, the acting was also strong as the script. Mahershala Ali is as expected amazing in this film while Viggo Mortensen was a great foil. Both definitely had great chemistry between themselves. The only really negative thing about the film is that the sudden transformation of Tony Lip was a little bit too convenient and ultimately rushed. One day he looks down on Blacks but suddenly he becomes respectful towards Don Shirley. The film fails to really make a good case on how Tony Lip overcame his prejudices other than his inner goodness prevailing eventually.

Rating: 4 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- a well-rounded emotional film
- outstanding script and acting

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the transformation of Tony Lip was a little bit too convenient