Green Book

Green Book will be notable in movie history if for no other reason than being the 2018 Best Picture winner at the Oscars. I stopped watching the Oscars years ago because they seem to delight in choosing the obscure or films that kowtow to popular fads, but Green Book is one of the rare exceptions that the Oscars got right. This film is the shared story of two disparate characters. The first is Don Shirley, an gifted African-American pianist, trained in Russia, connoisseur of languages, with an apartment above Carnegie Hall. The other was Tony Vallelonga, a rough-and-tumble Italian-American bouncer with connections to organized crime and a tremendous capacity to eat. When Shirley decides to undertake a tour of the Deep South in the early 1960s, he knows he will need protection. On the other hand, the nightclub Tony works at is closed for repairs and he needs a job for the next few months. After interviewing multiple people for the position of chauffeur, bodyguard, and bagman, Don eventually decides to hire Tony. At the beginning of their journey, there is a significant amount of friction between the two. Don is highly cultured, while Tony is salt of the earth; more notably, being of two different races leads Tony to make some insensitive, albeit not malicious, comments. Soon enough, however, Tony helps Don get out of tough situations and they bond. Some of the best scenes in the film are when Don performs. The piano work was actually done by Kris Bowers, but Mahershala Ali carries himself with confidence as he mimics the movements. Despite his obvious talent, Don is never fully accepted by white society. As Don himself notes, he feels too white to fit into black society and too black to join white society. This internal conflict reaches an emotional resolution in one of the final scenes of the film. There has been some criticism from Don Shirleys family that the film whitewashes aspects of his life. Leaving aside the question of whether Shirley was estranged from his kin (I get the impression he was), no story is able to incorporate every single perspective. Tony Vallelonga clearly held Don Shirley in high regard and viewed him as a friend, an attitude many white people fifty years ago were incapable of. More importantly, even if the story were entirely fictional, I think it offers a valuable lesson that we as human beings can learn from others whose experiences (and hence their perspectives) are different from our own. If nothing else, the film acquainted me with Don Shirley, who I had never heard of before, but whose music I now own on vinyl. The moments of levity, drama, and musical virtuosity in this film make it a great way to pass an evening. I highly recommend that everyone take the time to enjoy the performances of Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen.

This movie is a gem that I believe is often overlooked. While covering the difficult subject matter, there are also light-hearted and altogether humorous moments to offer balance to the film. Mahershala Ali captivates and shines in this role as Dr. Don Shirley. Truly the real star of this film who offers a complex character full of humor, grace and style. Viggo Mortenson holds his own as Tony Lip, where he finds newfound comradery with Don Shirley, both coming from different backgrounds, culturally, educationally, and monetarily. Not to mention that this movie is during the time period where Martin Luther King Jr. and black men are fighting for equal rights throughout the country. Tony Lip in the beginning remained in ignorance or racial stereotypes only to be faced with it head-on in the deep South. Despite the many boundaries, a friendship of contrast was formed and they learned from one another and with that came appreciation. I read some reviews that were harsh accusing this film of being a White Savior Narrative. And while, Tony had to help bail Don Shirley out on a couple of occasions, he was hired to be a chauffeur and body guard, given that it is absolutely true that Nat King Cole was beaten by an all white audience in Birningham, AL in 1956. Don Shirley had to prepare accordingly. However, Don Shriley, also helped Tony Lip out in terms of writing letters to his wife, getting them both out of prison and being calm, while not resorting to violence when situations presented themselves. He also helped Tony from making some serious mistakes that could of led to some bad outcomes so they equally helped one another. On balance, they helped each other, which is what friends do. White Savior or Black Savior...they both stepped in that role. If you want to watch a movie that explores the attitudes of the 1960s South, Jim Crow Era but at the same time leaves you light-hearted and gives you a measure of hope, I suggest you try this one. For the time you watch it, you will think that anything is indeed possible.

Was an excellent movie and I would watch it again

As I said highly recommend everyone to watch this movie from start to finish. 5☆s all the way to the bank.

Love this movie.

Life can be tough and was hurtful.

Heart wrenching and a perfect movie to watch with a friend.

Quick Story Recap: Tony, played by Viggo Mortensen, is a simple man from the Bronx. He works as a grunt and bouncer at the Copacabana nightclub and has a reputation for being able to handle any trouble. The club closes for renovation and Tony is looking for money anywhere he can find it, including food eating contests. Dr. Shirley, played by Mahershala Ali, is a concert pianist who is planning a tour to the deep racist south and needs to find a driver and a body guard of sorts, he hires Tony. The film follows their trip from beginning to finish. Acting wise, I loved every second of both main actors. Viggos Tony was a lovable simple goon who becomes more aware of the world as he experiences it with Dr. Shirley. Every action, facial expression, and his accent seemed spot on every second he got on screen. He wasnt just a committed character which most actors get lauded for - He was a committed character who was real, believable, and lovable. Likewise, Mahershalas Dr. Don Shirley was amazing too. The film is enhanced by their personality push and pull. Mahershaia was able to flesh out his character and use his time on screen both with and without Viggo to convey on powerful moments - as he so often does in his films. A moment that really sticks out as amazing to me was the dialogue where they discuss blackness, and it gets real. They delivered it so well, the truth hits both Tony and the audience and it is magical how you feel it with him. Well done acting team, script team, directors, and editors for how it feels and looks. Overall film wise, I loved it. I watched because it was a nominee. I knew nothing of this film or the story it was based upon coming in so it took a short second to get acclimated to the story and where it was going. But it does have some great moments and the dialogue (and film as well) moves from funny to deep and back again in a perfect way to not go too deep in either direction even as the undertone for the very difficult scenarios they go through together are very serious and upsetting -Jim Crow south. The film kind of makes me think of a reverse Driving Miss Daisy. As I mentioned earlier, I loved Tony and Dr. Shirley. I was glad Tony has a reformation of his own. It made the movie have a great ending. I think I might add this to the home collection.

This movie is amazing!

Recommended by a friend. Had no previous knowledge of this musician. Topics touched were thought provoking