Review of Green Book (2018) by Moviemitch96 — 22 Nov 2018

This was a simple yet culturally significant, funny, and often times very heartwarming and crowd-pleasing film while also providing important social commentary regarding race and discrimination. The film follows an Italian-American bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) who is hired to drive an African American pianist with a Doctorate in music (Mahershala Ali) on his musical tour through the American South in the 1960s.

From the film's opening moments, I knew I was in for a charming and great time, cause despite the serious historical subject matter and depiction of racism throughout the film, every moment in the film is played out surprisingly light-hearted but never too much so as to remind us of the important cultural and historical significance of these different and difficult times in America.

In addition, Mortensen and Ali play off each other perfectly from start to finish, seemingly forming a genuine bond and friendship as the film progressed. I was especially impressed with Mortensen however, who not only had so many great and funny moments and lines, but also showed serious commitment, gaining approximately 40 lbs or so for his role.

Overall, despite the film's rather safe and restrained depiction of racism and prejudice, it nonetheless remains very mature and insightful regarding these themes and depictions, and the performances and chemistry between Mortensen and Ali are undoubtedly the film's biggest charm, with all of these elements coming together to make the film a mostly smooth yet satisfying ride.