![]() ![]() ![]() Indeed, we typically see it only when Tony quietly picks it up to find motels in which Shirley can safely stay. Universal Picturesīut after that, the book is not mentioned by name, even as the pair encounter the full gamut of racism during the trip - ranging from casual remarks to “genteel” discrimination to violent hostility from civilians, bar patrons, and police. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in Green Book. He’ll need to refer to it to do his job, getting Shirley from gig to gig safely throughout the musician’s eight-week tour. Early on, he briefly explains its purpose to his wife Delores (Linda Cardellini): to provide black travelers with information about “safe” places to stay and to eat while they travel. Mortensen’s character, Tony, takes it on the trip and leafs through it several times. Yet curiously, the Green Book itself doesn’t play much of a role in the film. It’s often funny, with some poignant moments and a heart that feels like it’s in the right place. It’s “inspired” by the true friendship of Tony Vallelonga, an Italian-American chauffeur/bodyguard from the Bronx, and Don Shirley, the black pianist Vallelonga is hired to drive and protect on a concert tour through the deep South in 1962. The film, directed by comedy veteran Peter Farrelly, stars Viggo Mortensen and Ali. A period piece that’s also a road trip movie and a buddy dramedy? Based on a true story? With two strong performances and a heartwarming message about overcoming prejudice? That ends at a Christmas celebration? Sign America up (or at least the Hollywood Foreign Press Association). not to mention mind-blowing music.Green Book took home three Golden Globe Awards on Sunday for Best Comedy, Best Screenplay, and supporting actor Mahershala Ali - and that’s hardly a surprise. Really, the entire movie is a love letter of sorts - to a friendship that's a reminder that the world needs more empathy and human connection. ![]() Shirley) increasingly poetic love letters from the road. Especially considering that viewers meet nearly all of Tony's large Italian family, including his more open-minded wife, Dolores ( Linda Cardellini), to whom he writes (with help from Dr. Shirley's personal life isn't explored via more than a couple of references to his estranged brother and a failed marriage and one poignant monologue about not fitting into either white or black society. It feels like a bit of a missed opportunity that Dr. Shirley, who's infinitely more self-aware - and also more of a mystery. While Tony isn't in the role of the dreaded "white savior," Green Book's story is more about him than Dr. Shirley refuses to lower himself via vulgarity or even by listening to popular music (he can't tell Aretha Franklin from Chubby Checker), and he fully understands that the moment he steps off stage, he's just another black man to the white audiences who moments earlier applauded his talent. It's not easy to revisit a time in history when gifted black artists could entertain all-white crowds but not sit or dine among them - or even use the same bathroom. Both portrayals are award-worthy, as are Ali's musical performances (he went through extensive piano training to pull them off). Mortensen, who reportedly gained more than 30 pounds for the role, immerses himself in showy Bronx bravado, while Ali is a picture of nuanced restraint, with plenty of emotion simmering beneath the surface. Shirley's interactions he allows the actors to shine in completely opposing ways. Director Peter Farrelly, best known for raunchy comedies like There's Something About Mary, brings out the humor in Tony and Dr. Mortensen and Ali both give fabulous performances in this feel-good road-trip drama that's part buddy comedy, part history lesson, and part social commentary on friendship and race. And the story is a timely reminder of how, just a few decades ago, there were whole parts of the country where segregation kept African Americans from fully participating in civic life. But the film's messages about empathy and the danger of prejudice and stereotypes are important and thought-provoking. There's also quite a bit of language (including "s-t," the "N" word, and more) and drinking/smoking. Characters get beaten and threatened (including with a shotgun), there's a fistfight, and two men are handcuffed after being caught engaging in sexual activity (nothing sensitive shown). Called by some a "race-flipped Driving Miss Daisy," the crowd-pleasing story explores how the two men had to abide by the titular Green Book, a "traveling while black" guide to restaurants and accommodations that allowed black guests in the '60s. Parents need to know that Green Book is a drama set in the 1960s about a racist Italian American man ( Viggo Mortensen) who takes a temporary job chauffeuring an acclaimed black pianist ( Mahershala Ali) during his concert tour of the Midwest and Deep South. ![]()
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