Green Book (2018)

Review

130min

Genre:     Fact-based, Comedy, Drama

Director:  Peter Farrelly

Cast:       Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini…and more

Writers:   Peter Farrelly, Brian Hayes Currie and Nick Vallelonga

-Synopsis-

When a sophisticated African-American jazz and classical pianist recruits a gruff working-class Italian-American bouncer to be his driver for a tour of the early 1960s segregated American south, an unlikely friendship forms which opens both their eyes—as the writer/director of ‘Dumb and Dumber’ and ‘Me, Myself & Irene’ tones it down for this memorable dramedy based on a true story.

Having helped to define 90s film comedy alongside his brother Bobby with their brand of brazen and edgy but ingenious blue-collar comedy in films like ‘Kingpin’ and ‘There’s Something About Mary’, Peter Farrelly hardly seems like the prime candidate to tell a nuanced story of unlikely friendship and acceptance in a bygone America. But armed with an extraordinary true story and a stellar leading duo, the director tones down his comedic sensibilities and ups the human drama, creating a touching and hilarious classic American road movie . . . and a period piece with loudly echoing social themes.

Mahershala Ali stars as the refined and elegant New Yorker Dr. Don Shirley, a celebrated African-American concert pianist in need of a driver and valet to escort him and his trio on a tour of the segregated American South. Enter Tony ‘Lip’ Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a crude blue-collar nightclub bouncer and all-round hustler who takes the gig with the promise of returning home to his family and wife Dolores (Linda Cardellini) for Christmas—setting in motion an eye-opening journey which challenges their prejudices, preconceptions, and their place in a divided country, while forging a friendship which would last a lifetime.

Comparisons have inevitably been made between this and 1989’s ‘Driving Miss Daisy’, including its own current status as an Oscar contender, with the narrative similarities and shared basic premise there for all to see (albeit in reverse), and ‘Green Book’ proves just as touching, poignant and ultimately life-affirming . . . only with more edge. But Farrelly’s film is also a bona-fide hilarious comedy, far funnier than many of the crude and irreverent supposed laugh-fests of the last few years, making ‘Green Book’ a finely balanced dramedy which moves but never steps over the line into banal sentimentality, delivering a social message without preaching or beating you over the head with it—and proving more human than many a so-called ‘important’ drama out there.

‘Green Book’ is as stylish as it is entertaining, beautifully crafted by young filmmakers with an eye (and ear) for the past, with burgeoning cinematographer Sean Porter (Green Room, 20th Century Women) vividly capturing the striking vistas of the American south which hang heavy with history, not to mention the exquisite production designs which recreate the early 60s—while Kris Bowers (Little Boxes, Monsters and Men) seamlessly combines his own compositions with a soundtrack of classic soul, rock ‘n’ roll and jazz to give the film a palpable energy.

The lifeblood of both the film’s comedy and drama are a classic fish-out-of-water and clash-of-cultures scenario which feeds the hilarity of two well-defined, opposing archetypal characters coming together, while illuminating the sobering reality of a country still deeply divided by a north and south legacy, and along racial lines—all of which relies hugely on the performances of its two leads, which as awards season already suggests, are both really something to celebrate.

In his most rotund role to date Viggo Mortensen delivers one of the most memorable performances of a long and storied career, bringing subtlety and oodles of charm to a working class family man, something of a brute and a bigot, who takes a personal journey beyond his cultural confines, forming a lifelong friendship along the way.

Meanwhile as his polar opposite, Oscar winner Mahershala Ali stakes his claim for a second Academy Award with his turn as the cultured artiste and perennial outsider Shirley; tolerated by polite society, rejected by working-class white America yet an outsider to his own community—but with the will and courage to retain his dignity in the face of degradation and discrimination.

With ‘Green Book’ comedy giant Peter Farrelly has truly expanded his cinematic horizons, crafting a delightful and finely balanced comedy/drama with a huge truthful heart, and a resonant period piece which expertly delivers a unifying message of common humanity, centred on what unites us being stronger and more common than what divides us. It also reflects the reawakening of a goliath of a country in flux, facing its painful past to embrace its potential future, while leaving the audience with of plenty hope—but most importantly it’s hugely entertaining . . . from the very start to the very finish.

The Bottom Line…

A hilarious biographical period piece and soul-nourishing classic American road movie, ‘Green Book’ expertly marries earthy clash-of-cultures comedy with poignant honest human drama to create a moving and entertaining tapestry of a bygone America, while reflecting the country today. Drawing a memorable cinematic portrait of two unforgettable figures and their unlikely but hopeful friendship . . . while dragging writer/director Peter Farrelly back to the zenith of mainstream Hollywood.

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