Green Book

This is a poignant story relating the discrimination African Americans faced in the South before civil rights acts happened. A talented Black piano player goes on a concert tour of the South being totally accepted as a talented performer by the upper white class but not allowed partake of the same kind of daily life like eating at a whites only restaurant or staying in a whites only hotel, and sadly not even being able to use indoor white only restrooms. Along this journey he is accompanied by his driver who is lower class white from a poor neighborhood in NYC. Its a journey of life for these two and it makes for quite the story. Theres sadness and humor in their journey and lessons are learned by both men. Its thoroughly entertaining and extremely well acted. I believe this movie got many Oscars nominations including a nod for best picture. Its a great movie in my opinion.

Great movie, a lot of historical content. Loved that it is based on a true story.

Worth it

I didnt think I would, but really enjoyed this movie. Great acting and a great story. Highly recommended.

Based on a true life story will pull me in every time. Real people can change, if they want to, for the betterment of all!

I would recommend to anybody who enjoys a good drama with a little comedy in it. I never knew the backstory or heard of the musician until this movie. And I never knew that his bodyguard was the man who would eventually go on to play Carmine on The Sopranos. Its amazing that the two men died within months of each other after long lives. Anyway I would describe this film as a tour de force. I would suggest it for anyone who is into a movie you have to pay attention to.

One of my top five all time hits. Mahershala Ali won the Academy award for his portrayal of Dr. Don Shirley a black classical pianist and Viggo Mortensen was nominated and should have won for his portrayal of Tony the Lip. Mortensen has lost his job as a bouncer at the famed Copacabana. He has a family to support and applies for the position of driving Ali around the south to perform. The green book is for blacks and details motels, hotels and restaurants that cater to blacks travelling down south, for this is Jim Crow times. Lovely scene when Tony finds out that Shirley lives in Carnegie Hall and sees the very exquisite rooms that Shirley lives in. They are confronted with the racism of the times, Ali can perform on stage but not eat in the restaurants or use the washrooms at the places he performs in. Viggo is assisted by Ali when he is asked to write home, the letters get better with Alis assistance. The last concert is at a restaurant and Ali gets a small closet to dress in, when he is told he cant eat at the restaurant but they will bring food to his dressing room the 2 leave and enter a black establishment with music, Ali performs in an astounding performance and after when they leave, Tony shoots his gun to scare off a robber. There are many great scenes, in one hotel, Tony meets some friends who tell him they will pay him extra to work for them, they speak in Italian and put down Shirley, Tony is surprised that Shirley also speaks and understands what they said, he offers him more money but Tony turns it down. another great scene is when Shirley goes to a white bar for a drink is confronted by some racists. The trip home to reach New York is very difficult with snow conditions, but Shirley drives Tony home just before Christmas, Shirley comes back to Tonys home for Christmas celebration. This is remarkable for it is based on fact, the 2 remained friends for many years. I purchased a couple of Don Shirleys music cds. This film is one of the best of the decade. Virtuoso performances by the cast.

Was an excellent movie and I would watch it again

Others have discussed the plot, so I will confine my review to impressions and what I came away with after watching the movie. First: this is a study of contrasting characters. The beginning of the movie portrays two main characters who, on the surface, are polar opposites. As the movie unfolds you begin to see how alike both are in certain ways. To be sure, they are still worlds apart, but one striking similarity that I observed is Dr. Shirley exhibited both high intelligence and education. He imparts some of his knowledge to Tony who proves to be intelligent enough to grow (to a point) intellectually. Both also have strong personal codes and integrity. Dr. Shirley comes across as refined; Tony comes across as profane, unpolished and streetwise - but unyielding in his commitment to keeping his word and other matters of honor. True, they are still worlds apart, but the core similarities are there if you observe closely enough. Second: there are a number of themes, some subtle, some not so much. Both men came to not only respect each other by the end of the movie, but also lifelong friends. Tony was literally educated by Dr. Shirley, and came away with a different way of seeing the world (although there were moments of interaction between the two that portrayed Tony as having a wider and deeper view of things than his crude character would otherwise indicate.) Dr. Shirley was affected by Tonys views and actions, but from what I gleaned from the film, not nearly as dramatically. Tony actually grew as a human being, as well as intellectually; Dr. Shirley changed in outlook, but maintained his core strengths and impeccable manners and standards. Third: I loved the cinematography. I was fourteen when the events in the movie happened and the colors and feel were not only authentic; I felt as though I was transported back in time. To be honest, I was ignorant of the layers of racism that permeated American society during that time. In that respect I could empathize with Tonys oblivious notions and beliefs expressed during the film. Perhaps empathize is the wrong word - I understood Tonys frame of reference because I was equally oblivious back then. Both the writing and the acting were some of the best Ive seen in recent movies. It is a deep and nuanced character study, drawn from real life events and people, and things move at real life speed. Slow. Deep. If you love action, romance, humor - you probably will NOT like this movie. On the other hand, if you like excellent story telling with layers of nuance, with the added bonus of being based on actual events, you will probably love this film.

I had no idea what the green book was before watching this heartwarming, sad, lovely movie. The story of these two gentlemen from very different worlds and how they shared this tough moment in time together, which ultimately brought them together as true friends, was wonderful. I cant recommend it enough. Simply a beautiful story.