Review of Green Book (2018) by Isaacj — 03 Feb 2019

Director Peter Farrelly is certainly best known for his big-hearted, light comedies; from Dumb and Dumber to There’s Something About Mary, Farrelly has shown himself to be a sure hand at the genre. His new film, Green Book, employs much of the same warm comedy, but along with a far more dramatic narrative.

Green Book is the (though now debatably) true story of Italian-American bar bruiser, Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), who finds work as a driver for a renowned black pianist, Dr Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) as he embarks on a concert tour across the Deep South. The film explores the growing friendship of the two men against the ugly backdrop of segregated America.

There is plenty of fun to be had in Green Book; as expected of Farrelly, there’s an effortless charm to the film, supported by belly-laughing humour and spirited characters. The script is occasionally a little clunky, but what truly ensures the success of Green Book is its performances (both Oscar noms). Viggo Mortensen leads as Tony, a big-mouthed big eater, impressively humorous but also adding an emotive touch to a role that could have easily seemed like a caricature. There’s a huge heart to Mortensen’s lively performance that is somewhat captivating. This is played off nicely by Mahershala Ali, on usual expert form as Dr Shirley. Ali’s composure and poise lend his performance this quiet gravitas that seems to find its true culmination in the film’s most powerful scene, as Tony and Don argue in the rain as two minorities unaccepted in 1960s America. It seems a shame, however, that the aforementioned scene is the closest that Green Book gets to really addressing its subject. The racial themes of the film are swiftly glossed over for the most part, even from the beginning where we see an apparently prejudiced Tony dispose of the drinking glasses of two black workmen, only to be seen happily kneeling on the ground playing dice with a group of African Americans some twenty minutes later. The film doesn’t just discuss race; class and sexuality are also lingering themes, but both feel all too briefly mentioned. There are certain scenes that do tackle the issues head on and I loved those moments, but much of the film is coated in a layer of sentimentality that, certainly by the third act, becomes almost sugary.

That being said, however, I loved the warmer and lighter points of the film as much as I loved the more dramatic. Though helped certainly by the brilliant performances, Green Book’s sentimentality doesn’t stop it from being voraciously watchable. The final act drags, suitably like a car with a flat tyre, but otherwise the film is infectiously entertaining, bringing across its narrative in the most accessible way. In the end, perhaps Green Book isn’t intended to be a gritty account on race relations; though there is more opportunity for nuanced drama, it feels far more like a feel-good crowd-pleaser.

In the end, Green Book may be a little simplistic in approach for more cultivated audiences, but it remains a thoroughly entertaining romp, made successful by two standout performances.