Green Book

Green Book

Starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Dimitar Marinov

Directed by Peter Farrelly

The Story:
In 1962, while being laid off while the night club he works at undergoes maintenance, Frank Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) takes the job as a driver for famed musician Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), who plans on an eight-week tour of the deep south - a problematic tour considering racism runs rampant down there.  At first seeing it simply as a job to better himself, his wife Dolores (Linda Cardellini) and their children, Frank slowly warms up to Don, and vice versa, leading to a lifelong friendship between two polar opposite people.

The Synopsis:
When you think of Peter Farrelly, you think of one-half of the brother directing duo who's brought classic comedies like "Dumb and Dumber," "Kingpin," and "There's Something About Mary."  You don't necessarily think of him as a serious dramatic director, but he shattered that belief with "Green Book" which, even though there's several darkly humorous moments, turns out to be his most serious work yet.  It's also the most critically acclaimed, already earning several awards and other major nominations, thanks due to his fantastic directing and the solid performances of Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, shedding light on a mysterious famed African American musician in the 1960s.

When he's hired to be the driver for African American pianist Dr. Don Shirley, Frank Vallelonga initially takes up the job simply for a paycheck, but as the two travel the deep south together, they learn more about each other, their lives, their cultures, and their hidden prejudices in ways that bond them together for life, creating a simply beautiful friendship that you'd never imagine happening.

It's a tale we've seen several times in cinema: two mismatched people forced to work together who eventually learn from each other and bring out the best in one another, becoming friends by the end.  Yet "Green Book" is more than just that, mostly due to the fact that it's a true story (despite there being some criticisms by Don Shirley's family about some of the film's possible inaccuracies), and it also deals with the issues of racism in totally different ways.  Not only is Shirley taken advantage of due to his color, but Frank also experiences racism since he's Italian, and also gives his own misguided racist jokes around Don without even knowing it (such as being shocked Don doesn't know who Little Richard is, or that he's never had fried chicken before).  What makes Frank a different character is that his racist tendencies isn't malicious, and seems surprised with Don's articulate nature and higher intelligence.

The pairing of Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali is pure genius, as both men always give themselves away to the roles they play, and here both totally transform into their characters.  Mortensen plays Frank as a lovable (if not a bit scrupulous) gruff who doesn't have a firm handle on the English language, uses his fists to solve arguments, and who really, really enjoys eating (one scene in particular where Frank downs a full pizza he folds in half is especially hilarious - and actually true).  The film was co-written by Frank's son, so we get a lot of the inner workings of Frank's mind, and Mortensen truly emboldens the performance.

Equally, Mahershala Ali shines as Dr. Don Shirley, as he once again disappears in his role.  Even though Shirley was infamously guarded (and his relatives weren't consulted for the film because Farrelly didn't even know they existed due to Shirley's secretive nature), Ali brings a unique spin on his character, offering both a cultured, nuanced, sophisticated man who's inner demons threaten to unravel at any moment as he endures the culture of racism in the south in hopes of changing hearts and minds due to his sensitive nature.

While the film has some impressive moments, the best ones come with the car ride as the two men banter back and forth about different topics, and it's in these moments we see the friendship blossoming between the two men in a wholly organic manner.  Be it Frank introducing Don to KFC chicken (while in Kentucky), or Don helping Frank write eloquent letters to his wife, we see these two men growing closer as friends.  It's in the other moments when we see this friendship tested as the film could've dived into white savior territory, but we see Don saving Frank's hide as often (if not more) than Frank saving Don.  Although they saw color at the beginning of the film, by the end all they saw was their shared humanity.

The Summary:
With the outstanding acting talents of Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, "Green Book" elevates itself above a film about racism or a buddy comedy and creates something wholly unique and remarkable.

The Score: A+