If you’re looking for a warm and fuzzy sure bet, the road trip movie ‘Green Book’ is the ticket. Although it’s a formula piece, it works due to the superb lead performances. Believe it or not, the director who gave us ‘Dumb and Dumber’ is responsible for this moving racial drama. ‘Green Book’ is based on a true story and is an interesting twist on the Oscar-winning ‘Driving Miss Daisy.’ Instead of a black chauffeur driving around a white woman, the story centers on an Italian Guido hired to drive a black musician to his concerts in the Deep South in the 1960s. The term Green Book refers to the name of the guide that showed blacks hotels and restaurants they could frequent in the segregated South. ‘Green Book’ strikes the right chord and is Oscar bait for this award season.
The premise is simple but affecting. Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) is a bouncer at the Copacabana club in New York. When it closes for renovations, Tony needs work to keep food on the table for his family. He takes a job chauffeuring a world-class pianist, Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on a concert tour in the Deep South. It’s 1962 and race relations are precarious. You can tell that Tony is hired not just for his driving skills but for his knuckle sandwiches. He knows how to control an argument with muscle. Mortensen delivers a virtuoso performance and deserves a Best Actor Oscar nomination. It’s fun to watch his Soprano-like gestures. Ali brings a dignity to his role. They are an odd-couple that eventually become life-long friends. That’s the beauty of the movie.
This is a buddy road trip film. As Tony and Doc make their way from one town to another, they banter with each other. At first, Doc is a bit condescending when it comes to Tony’s ruffian view of the world. There’s an endearing scene where Tony stops for a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Kentucky. As he offers him a drumstick, Doc tells him that he’s never eaten fried chicken before. It’s a fun scene the way it plays out. In another scene, Doc helps Tony create romantic letters that he sends to his wife back home in The Bronx. As their journey progresses, they get to know each other and become buddies. Doc wants to avoid violence at all costs but eventually understands why Tony has to resort to it. Although Doc is more educated than Tony, they both learn from each other on the road in the Blue Cadillac.
The concert scenes look genuine. Ali commands the stage as a classically trained piano player. He performs for wealthy white people. It’s during these concert stops that racism rears its ugly head. They respect his brilliant skills on the piano but won’t let him eat in a white-only restaurant or use a restroom in a mansion. After the two-month tour has concluded in Alabama, Tony and Doc try to get back to New York City so Tony can celebrate Christmas dinner with his family. Linda Cardellini plays Tony’s loving wife Dolores and she is wonderful in the role. You can tell that Dolores is the rock in Tony’s life. She keeps him from getting involved with the mafia to make a living. Mortensen skillfully brings humanity to his character.
‘Green Book’ is a film perfect for the holiday season. It is heartwarming entertainment at its finest. It has all the ingredients for being an Oscar contender. You have two stellar performances from Mortensen and Ali with an important message about race relations. ‘Green Book’ is a crowd-pleaser that should not be missed.
