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| Poster design by The Refinery, Universal Pictures |
Who knew that one of the directors of Dumb and Dumber would make a film like Green Book and that it could be really good. Also, am I the only one who finds it interesting that two former Disney Channel stars, Tom Virtue from Even Stevens and Brian Stepanek from Suite Life of Zack and Cody, are minor characters in this film? Weird.
Green Book was directed by Peter Farrelly and stars Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali as real life individuals Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga and “Doc” Don Shirley. Tony is a tough Italian bouncer for a club that is hired by Black Jazz-Pianist Doc Shirley to be his driver for a tour around the northern and southern United States, the only problem is that it’s 1962 and racism is at it’s worst. Tony and Doc are two individuals from different cultures and they initially clash over how different they are. Doc may be black, but he was raised to be a gentleman unlike Tony. Over the course of the tour, they begin to bond and Tony begins to realize what is really happening in the south and also that Doc is a lonely individual that hasn’t had any contact with his family and wants to play in the south for reasons of his own.
This film was really good, it’s a road trip film that is done right and has many interesting twists. Viggo Mortenson is great as Tony Lip and you can really tell that he is putting his all into being an Italian that changes his attitude towards Doc throughout the film because he really starts out as a tough buffoon. Mahershala Ali is great as Doc Shirley, he acts so snooty throughout the film but also goes through a transition with his attitude. This film could’ve easily fallen into several familiar traps as Road Trip films often do, but it really doesn’t, it resolves it’s issues relatively quickly and the focus is really on Tony and Doc’s friendship. There are a few bits of comedy that include a couple laugh out loud moments, one particular joke that’s so simple but still ends up getting me in the end. The racial issues are basic but work for this type of film, they do a great job of developing Doc and Tony’s friendship and understanding of each other. By the end of the film, I had a smile on my face, it ends on a really positive note and it makes me glad that I saw this film.
I have very few problems with the film, well just one nitpick, and it’s that the film could’ve been cut down slightly as the ending drags a little bit. Overall, Green Book is worth a watch, it has great acting, great bits of comedy, great drama, and is one of my favorite films of 2018.
9.0 out of 10
