New in theaters this week is “Green Book”, a feel-good comedy-drama about a working-class Italian-American bouncer who becomes the driver of sophisticated, African-American, classical pianist embarking on a concert tour of the Deep South in the 1960s. Led by award-worthy performances from Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, this film explores many elements of racism while presenting an entertaining buddy comedy.
While searching for work in New York City, Tony “Tony Lip” Vallelonga lands an interview with famed Carnegie Hall pianist Don Shirley. Needing a chauffer and bodyguard, Shirley hires Vallelonga to accompany him on an eight-week tour of the South. Tony is given a Green Book for their journey, a guide for black travelers to find safe, race appropriate food and lodging.
With Tony being a rough-edged, foul-mouthed New Yorker, and Don, a well-spoken and seemingly privileged musician, the two clash in the beginning. But as Tony begins to understand Don’s guarded nature, and likewise Don begins to loosen up a bit as he experiences Tony’s disregard for any sort of manners, the pair begin to bond on their journey. There is a particular comedic scene, among many, in which they stumble upon a Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Tony proceeds to get large bucket of greasy chicken and challenges Don to eat with his hands, after saying he has never eaten fried chicken before.
Though their skin color shows different, there is a part in the film in which Tony points out that in many ways he is “blacker” than Don, due to Tony’s taste in and knowledge for African-American music, as well as his general speech, appetite for certain foods, etc. Tony is forced to defend Don on several occasions from racial encounters, and as the film progresses, Tony sees why Don acts the way he does and how difficult it is for him to be an African-American in that time period, and ultimately gains much respect for him. Both Don and Tony grow quite a lot and learn a great deal from each other during their shared experience.
Going into the film knowing nothing but what the trailer shows, I expected to find a slow paced, seemingly uninteresting movie. I was pleasantly surprised to find a likeable film with real depth and many laughs. Based on true events, the script was written by Vallelonga’s son, Nick, as well as director Peter Farrelly. While the film may not go down as a top movie of the year, the acting should receive award nominations.
“Green Book” is rated PG-13 for thematic content, language including racial epithets, smoking, some violence and some suggestive material. Running time is 2 hours and 10 minutes.
