55. Green Book; movie review

GREEN BOOK
Cert 12A
130 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate violence, discriminatory behaviour

Well, that's the biggest glow I have felt from a movie this year.
Green Book is worth every bit of its award-season acclaim thanks to a beautifully constructed narrative and two outstanding performances.
And those who say that its story doesn't have enough meat haven't really understood how important changing one man's opinion on race is towards changing the world.
I was delighted to read on the excellent Hollywood Vs History website that Peter Farrelly's film is very close to the truth.
This shouldn't be that much of a surprise as Nick Vallelonga was one of the writers of the screenplay and was intimate with the story about his father, Tony (Viggo Mortensen) and the pianist, Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali).
Green Book tells how Tony was hired to drive the eccentric genius on a tour which included America's deep south at a time when segregation laws were still in place.
The irony is that Tony, a nightclub bouncer with a reputation for quick first and a smart mouth, is seen to be a racist before his job with the black musician.
Indeed, the two men are from entirely different ends of many spectrums so their long journey becomes one of significant discovery.
There are all sorts of reasons to love Green Book.
Firstly, it is a genuinely heartwarming true story which is borne out of very unlikely circumstances.
Secondly, the two central actors are sensational. Mortensen has never been better as the raw family man with a huge appetite (yes, he really did eat 26 hot dogs in one sitting).
The way in why he finds new layers to himself is subtle and brilliant.
Ali carries off Don Shirley with great panache but with more vulnerability than his character would have expected when they set out on their journey.
Then there is the history. No-one should forget that the apartheid Jim Crow laws were only removed just over 50 years ago.
Yes, in our lifetimes it was considered a policeman's duty in some states to round up African-Americans if they were out after sunset.
And then there is the wonderful music which ranges from jazz to classical and to tunes by the likes of Little Richard.
It adds up to a glorious mix and the best movie of the year so far, richly deserving of its Oscar nominations.

Reasons to watch: Beautifully portrayed story
Reasons to avoid: The ghastly racism

Laughs: Six
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudty: None
Overall rating: 9.5/10

Did you know? The Negro Motorist Green-Book was an annual guidebook for American-America road-trippers and was originated and published from 1936 to 1966 during the era of Jim Crow laws when open and often legally prescribed discriination against non-whites was widespread.

The final word. Viggo Mortensen: "There are people in your line of work who say the movie should be more cutting-edge, more militant in some way. But one of its strengths is that it’s not speaking to one small, activist, politically-in-agreement section of society. It is a movie that anyone can see and learn from because it doesn’t tell you what to think.”

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