Review of Green Book (2018) by Rebecca31 — 06 Feb 2019

Based on the real life events of Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) the world-class African-American pianist about to go on tour in the Deep South. He hires Italian-American bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) to drive him and deal with any issues that may arise. Together they put aside their differences and form an unlikely friendship.

It may be set in the 1960s but it's still very relevant today and although Green Book feels the need to drive home this point a little too often it's a terrific film. Viggo really has found his inner Joe Pesci for this role and plays it to perfection. The story is well written and well paced but what makes Green Book so good is the chemistry between Viggo and Mahershala. It finds the balance between drama and humour, a crowd-pleaser that seems to be accurate for the most part. No matter how true a film claims to be it will never be completely accurate, so just sit back and enjoy this unique story with a superb cast giving it their all. Can we also just take a moment to appreciate the composer Kris Bowers who worked as a body double for Mahershala's piano performances and transcribed Don Shirley's music by ear to use in the film. It's mesmerising and Green Book would not have happened without that level of dedication. I loved this film, you'll love this film, go see Green Book, you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended.