Green Book

In terms of racism-themed films, you can organize them along a feel-good/feel-sorry spectrum. An example of a feel-good movie is "Remember the Titans" and an example of a film on the feel-sorry side of the spectrum would be "The Butler". I would place "Green Book" on the feel-good side of the spectrum because for me it was a comedy more than a political statement. I also like how there was a variety of messages being taught instead of just one obvious message. I feel racism-themed films these days are too concerned with making society feel guilty about its past. "Green Book" contains some great acting and genuinely funny moments but this film is still in danger of being politicized beyond the filmmakers’ intentions. It also has a few controversial aspects.

The show has a few nice touches such as when Tony first parks his car in front of his house. Our eye is drawn to the fire hydrant thanks to the newspapers. This, along with other moments, established Tony's character quite well. Some would argue that Tony is a racist but I bet we can all name someone who is more racist than him. The filmmakers have to make the relationship that develops between Don and Tony believable and that is why Tony is more narrow-minded than racist. If he was completely racist, he would never have went on the journey in the first place. The most racist thing Tony does is at the start of the film with the drinking glasses. While he is uncomfortable with the workers in the house, he doesn't kick them out like a racist person would. More evidence of his narrow-mindedness is that he turns down the job with Don at first only because he doesn't like butler-type work. Tony could have walked right out of Don's office upon seeing him but Tony values the income in order to support his family. It's only when Don provides specifics about the two-month job that Tony initially declines. What changes things is Tony's reputation, which Don needs. Don and Tony both agree non-verbally to put up with each other in order to get what they want. The film doesn't simply stick a white guy with a black guy. It is more a clash between the cultured and the uncultured, something that we have seen before but comes across as original thanks to the performances and other production decisions. Don's talent with the piano starts to win Tony over and I think this is one reason why he makes sure that Don's piano is a Steinway in one scene. The argument could be made that Tony just wants to stay employed but what makes for a better story? The filmmakers are trying to show that Tony's narrow-mindedness is slowly being replaced by respect. Don respects Tony as a family man but wants Tony to be worthy of his family. Tony doesn't mind being uncultured in that he will stay outside and gamble with the African-Americans who aren't allowed inside the mansion. Don takes offense at this because Tony's skin color allows him privileges that he won't accept. What truly makes "Green Book" noteworthy is that Tony is not the only one that has to change. Don may have respect for others and courage but he still is a little prideful. He won't play horseshoes for example at his hotel. He is torn between two worlds. I like how Tony is excited to eat KFC in Kentucky and this leads to Don exercising some humility. Tony and Don need each other and this makes for a good story. Tony needs some culture and Don needs to humble himself in order to truly understand what he is fighting for. This is how multiple themes and messages find their way into this film and this is good because multiple members of the audience can be influenced. Some of these messages are also not very obvious and so discovering them makes them stick to our souls even more.

The scene when Tony runs into friends while on the road does create a little suspense but the issue seems to be resolved quite quickly. I guess when Tony turned them down outside the hotel, he really meant it and was just going to get a drink with them as he said. Maybe this is a subtle message to the audience as well as to Don that we should trust Tony. I like how Don's Russian back-up performers announce the end of the "Cold War" and this leads into the climax of the movie in Birmingham. It is well crafted because we get to see what Tony and Don have learned from each other. Tony and Don expect to eat in the whites-only dining room but the owner will not compromise. Tony tries to convince Don privately to maybe eat somewhere else so as to not spoil the end of the tour but when they speak again with the owner, Don will also not back down. By this point, Tony knows his boss and that he will make good on his threat not to perform. Because this is the end of the tour, Tony will get paid either way this argument turns out and it is nice to see Tony side with Don when between a rock and a hard place with no money at stake. When the hotel owner tries to smooth talk Tony, our protagonist is given a taste of his own uncultured medicine. The irony angers Tony and it looks like things are about to get violent so Don capitulates. That in turn embarrasses Tony because he doesn't want Don to play just to prevent violence, considering what Don has done for him. Tony then makes the call to walk out. Don's influence has had some effect on Tony because Tony did show some restrain with the owner of the hotel. Don has changed also because he has pride to stand up to prejudice but he also has humility to pass up performing in a fancy place. During the journey back to New York and at the very end of the show, the filmmakers tease the audience quite a bit and I liked that. I also enjoy how the film ends at Christmastime.

I have been a Viggo Mortensen fan since his breakout role and this film proves that he is Oscar material. He goes all in when playing a role. He gained a lot of weight for this film as one can plainly see. The first time I took note of Mahershala Ali was "Hidden Figures" but I have been seeing his performances a few times previous to that in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and in "The Hunger Games" franchise. Ali won an Oscar about two years prior to the release of "Green Book" and I admire his talent. Both Mortensen and Ali have chemistry and that was vital for this movie. Director Peter Farrelly is better known for the comedies he made with his brother such as "Dumb and Dumber". I am impressed with this solo film of his, which has some sincere drama. By the way, this movie is co-written and co-produced by the real life son of Tony Vallelonga, Nick Vallelonga. As mentioned, some controversy has arisen regarding "Green Room". At a press event, Mortensen used the N-word but prefaced his sentence saying that he was going to talk about words that are no longer appropriate in today's world. Apparently, that wasn't good enough for the Internet and Mortensen had to apologize for just saying the word. This is what I mean by things getting out of control without it being the filmmakers' intention. Something I do take a little issue with though is that Don Shirley's family was not consulted during production. They felt that there was misrepresentation as the friendship between Don and Tony was actually more professional in nature. While the film's story is very inspirational, I believe in historical accuracy. It is not right to try to change the world at the expense of your own integrity. Making Tony and Don into stronger friends may feel good to make and to watch but if it didn't happen that way in real life, it isn't honorable to the source. On the other hand, I guess the script is "inspired" by a true story.

There was one scene that I felt was unnecessary in this movie but I will still applaud the acting and humor of the entire film. It won the most Golden Globes this year: Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Supporting Actor (Ali) and Best Screenplay. Its Oscar wins were also impressive. I correctly predicted it would win Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. After winning the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award for this role, Ali's second career Oscar win was assured. I really wanted Viggo to win this year but Rami Malek's performance was hard to compete against. The last Oscar nomination earned by "Green Book" was for Best Film Editing. I was really hoping that the film was not going to be over-politicized during the awards season, becoming just another example of the current trend of activism coming out of Hollywood. From the onset, that was wishful thinking. If you look at the movie itself, the show isn't heavily political because of the comedy. It is getting caught up in the trend so that is unfortunate because I felt that the comedy allowed us to set aside current issues and be simply entertained.

3.5 Stars out of 5