And indeed, Green Book’s treatment of racism is uneven at best. And that’s not a bad thing.įarrelly’s speech is of a piece with the film’s approach to racism, common to Hollywood films, which is to suggest that relationships between individuals will heal centuries of racism. We all want the same thing: We want love and happiness and want to be treated equally. If they can find common ground here, we all can.Īll we have to do is talk and to not judge people by their differences, but look for what we have in common. Because we are still living in divided times, and that’s what this movie is for: It’s for everybody. This story, when I heard it, gave me hope, and I wanted to share this hope with you. Yet he went on to create his own music that still resonates to this day. Don Shirley was a great man and underappreciated genius who couldn’t play the music he wanted to play, simply because of the color of his skin. This is a story of the trip that Don Shirley took in the pre-Civil Rights era of the 1960s. Green Book is a story of a trip that - please, no, turn that off. When Farrelly took the stage to accept the Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical, he used the opportunity to reiterate the film’s themes (and demand that the orchestra not play him off): Indeed, we typically see it only when Tony quietly picks it up to find motels in which Shirley can safely stay. Universal Picturesīut after that, the book is not mentioned by name, even as the pair encounter the full gamut of racism during the trip - ranging from casual remarks to “genteel” discrimination to violent hostility from civilians, bar patrons, and police. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in Green Book. He’ll need to refer to it to do his job, getting Shirley from gig to gig safely throughout the musician’s eight-week tour. Early on, he briefly explains its purpose to his wife Delores (Linda Cardellini): to provide black travelers with information about “safe” places to stay and to eat while they travel. Mortensen’s character, Tony, takes it on the trip and leafs through it several times. Yet curiously, the Green Book itself doesn’t play much of a role in the film. It’s often funny, with some poignant moments and a heart that feels like it’s in the right place. It’s “inspired” by the true friendship of Tony Vallelonga, an Italian-American chauffeur/bodyguard from the Bronx, and Don Shirley, the black pianist Vallelonga is hired to drive and protect on a concert tour through the deep South in 1962. The film, directed by comedy veteran Peter Farrelly, stars Viggo Mortensen and Ali. A period piece that’s also a road trip movie and a buddy dramedy? Based on a true story? With two strong performances and a heartwarming message about overcoming prejudice? That ends at a Christmas celebration? Sign America up (or at least the Hollywood Foreign Press Association). Linda Cardellini (Brokeback Mountain, The Founder) co-stars.Green Book took home three Golden Globe Awards on Sunday for Best Comedy, Best Screenplay, and supporting actor Mahershala Ali - and that’s hardly a surprise. Parker (Kill Bill series), as well as Cinetic Media’s John Sloss (Boyhood) and Steven Farneth. The drama is executive produced by Participant’s Jeff Skoll (The Help) and Jonathan King (Lincoln), along with Octavia Spencer (Fruitvale Station) and Kwame L. Wessler (The Heartbreak Kid) produce alongside Farrelly’s fellow writers, Brian Currie and Nick Vallelonga, and Farrelly. Confronted with racism, danger-as well as unexpected humanity and humor-they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. When Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. In his foray into powerfully dramatic work as a feature director, Peter Farrelly helms the film inspired by a true friendship that transcended race, class and the 1962 Mason-Dixon line. Academy Award® nominee Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Hidden Figures) star in Participant Media and DreamWorks Pictures’ Green Book.
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