This interracial buddy road trip showcases two heavyweight actors squaring off in the small space of a teal Cadillac. A White man driving a Black man through the deep South will certainly raise eyebrows, maybe not as much now as it did in 1962. The best part of this film, however, is the fairly predictable story of connection and friendship.
Dr. Don Shirley, well-known African-American classically-trained pianist hired Italian-American Bronx Bouncer Tony “Lip” Vallelonga to drive, guide and protect him on a concert tour. There weren’t any two men more mismatched, especially heading to the segregated South. Tony was given “The Negro Travelers Green Book” as a guide to safe places for the Doctor to be able to stay and eat.
Mahershala Ali (First Muslim to win an Academy Award, Supporting Actor for Moonlight) plays Dr. Shirley, the accomplished recording artist who made a living recording and playing mostly jazz for White folks. Viggo Mortensen (also nominated the same year as Ali for his acting in Captain Fantastic) plays Tony. He’s basically a tough under-educated thug, but a dedicated family man.
Writer/Director/Producer Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary) puts comedy in a more serious light in Green Book. Farrelly usually works with his brother, Bobby, but wrote this script with Actor/Writer Brian Curry and Nick Vallelonga, (Tony’s son.) With race a hot topic of discussion because of the current Administration and recent elections, this film touches on how it used to be and lets you decide if, or how much, attitudes have really changed today.
Farrelly draws a stark contrast in status and lifestyle between Dr. Shirley and Lip. Manual labor for Lip is throwing punches as a bouncer, while Dr. Shirley’s long, elegant fingers caress the keys of a Steinway. Lip hustles to provide a modest apartment for his sweet and smart wife (Linda Cardellini) and kids which is juxtaposed against Dr. Shirley’s lonely existence in his opulent apartment above Carnegie Hall.
Perhaps because Farrelly’s co-writer is Vallelonga’s son, the script spends more time with Lip. That’s too bad because getting to know more of Shirley’s motivation and backstory would have made for an even more compelling emotional journey. It’s entertaining to see Tony wolfing down huge slabs of pizza, but much more memorable is when Shirley tastes his first piece of fried chicken. The film has become slightly controversial in spite of great performances by Ali and Morgensen who are really the whole show. These is based on a real tour, but some members of Dr. Shirley’s family are disputing what happens in the movie as glossed over.
Ali actually learned some piano to make his playing more realistic. The shots of him starting with his fingers moving effortlessly on the keyboard and panning up are very convincing. Mortensen worked on his Bronx, tough-guy accent as Tony
Writer/Director Farrelly loves road trips, even driving cross-country alone which he’s done many times. Farrelly shows each character’s attitudes and expressions as their relationship progresses. It’s not always easy to shoot a road trip but Cinematographer Sean Porter (20th Century Women, Green Room) captures the expressions these two men confined to a car. Even harder for them to react to each other with Mortensen driving and Ali in the back seat, not even face-to-face.
Dr. Shirley was brave to want to take this tour traveling in the deep South where he knew Negroes from the North were generally not welcome. You’ll be uncomfortable, worried when they argue with each other, or find themselves in risky and dangerous situations encountering racists along the way. Although Tony likes throwing his weight around, he predictably begins to understand racism and becomes more sensitive to what Dr. Shirley is up against.
Farrelly said as soon as he heard the plot from co-writer Curry, he knew it was a home run. It’s simplistic, but effective. There are unrealistic situations in this film, but it still shines a light on racial hatred that was the norm then that still exists now. The respect Mortensen and Ali have for each other’s talent is evident in their characterizations and interaction. We respect it, too. This is a trip definitely worth taking.
