Geek Review: Green Book

The trailers for Green Book didn’t really impress me.  It looked like a rather run-of-the-mill “based on a true story” about race relations featuring some top acting talent in a period piece.  That doesn’t mean it will be bad, just rather unsurprising.

Then Watson gave it a rave review, and since there didn’t seem to be anything new hitting the local multiplex that I really wanted to see, so I decided to give it a shot.

Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) works a variety of jobs at the Copacabana, notably running small scams for himself, hired muscle, and driving the boss home from time to time.  As the Copa closes for renovations, Tony is in need of a new job and one comes from an unlikely source.  Famed pianist Doctor Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) needs a driver and personal assistant for a concert trip through the Deep South where a black man like Shirley may not be entirely welcome.  Along the way, the pair form an unlikely friendship that involves both men becoming better people.

Both lead actors do a fine job in their respective roles, particularly Ali as the reserved, private Shirley who does most of his acting with just his eyes.  Mortensen does fine as well, but he does it with a cartoon New York City accent that seems a wee bit too thick.  Based on a true story, screenplay credit went to among others Tony’s son who consulted both men about their friendship and manages to make them more than the sorts of cliches we come to expect from these sorts of movies even as the plot hits all the expected beats for such a tale.  There aren’t really any surprises in a movie like this.  Heck, the trailer more or less spelled everything out.  The reason to come to see this movie is mostly for Mortensen and Ali.

As it is, the movie was directed by Peter Farrelly, half of the Farrelly Brothers team, and he does give the movie some humor, but not the sort of humor generally associated with the Farrellys.  It does mean that the jokes that are there largely work.  The end result is a pleasant movie, anchored by strong performances, that should make for a fine time at the movies.  9 out of 10 lacks of language barriers.