Green Book

Director: Peter Farrelly

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali

Year: 2019

Genre: Comedy

Set in 1960s America, Green Book follows Frank Vallelonga a.k.a. Tony Lip (Mortensen), who is hired by Doctor Don Shirley (Ali), a black pianist, to transport him across the Deep South of the US for him to perform at various concerts.

From the set up, the audience is made aware that the film is intending to provide another message about the injustice ingrained in society, using the climate of racism in the sixties as an observation on how in many cases, although not as conspicuous in today's world, things have not necessarily changed. However, it also offers a further inspection on the overt racism of the sixties - perhaps a somewhat recycled idea, and in a sense it offers little more than other films of a similar nature have done in the past, yet it is still a poignant message regardless.

Certainly there is no denying that the film is quite entertaining. Most noticeably is the excellent chemistry exhibited between Tony and 'Doc', especially by the end of the film when 'Doc' had accepted Tony's obvious quirks and Tony had been through his slightly forced character arc of becoming respectful for African-Americans and diversity within America. The relationship between the two really acts as a simplified message of discouraging judgement and racism, which for the purpose of the film works somewhat well. At its core, Green Book  does not go out of its way to provide a deep, severe commentary of these issues, like BlackKklansman (Spike Lee, 2018) might have done; instead it aims to bring these issues to light, in the context of the sixties, while retaining its comic aspect.

The comedy in this film improves as the plot progresses, especially as the audience become gradually more accustomed to the two's friendship dynamic. To begin with, the film is slightly clumsy and takes a while to properly find its footing. It throws the audience into a narrative with little context and set ups such as Tony's affiliation with the mafia and his discrimination of other races feel rushed in order to push the plot forward. It is a typical shortcut many of these films might take in order to keep the audience engaged with not much exposition and the smallest amount of information to make sure they are on the same page. 
Nevertheless, once the situation between 'Doc' and Tony, and their conflicts have been established, the film does pick up and becomes much more entertaining. Again, the film is not unique in its depiction of two conflicting forces soon accepting the others flaws and becoming friends - many films have done very similar notions (again, to reiterate, watch BlackKklansman), yet despite lacking originality, as with these narratives, it is impossible not to avoid its wholesome conclusion in the third act.

Mahershala Ali is brilliant in his role as Shirley and manages to evoke sincere and authentic emotions when dealing with personal conflicts, especially during pivotal scenes in the film. It is clear that 'Doc' deals with attackers coming from all sides, yet forces himself to keep a calm facade amidst his interior chaos, and this is beautifully transferred to screen by Ali. Mortensen, while being the central protagonist in the film, often works as more of the comedic relief in most scenes, yet his struggle to adjust to the cruel way of life is equally poignant, as 'Doc' teaches him a refined sense of morality and shows him humanities true colours. 

Ultimately, Green Book is a heartwarming, funny film with a poignant message to offer, which other films may have expressed better or more powerfully, but Green Book's contribution works well. Mortensen and Ali both give great performances and work exceptionally as a double act. The plot lacks complexity and the film does not attempt to explore many of its topics with much depth, leaving much to be desired for the film resolving or elaborating on some key issues, but what the film does offer is enjoyable.

Verdict: 7/10