Movie Review: Green Book
GREEN BOOK
130 mins, Rated M (Offensive language)
Sometimes the lifespan of a film has a story arc all of its own, complete with drama, stakes and turning points.
We often follow these closely, as they can make or break a film. A great example: Freddie Mercury biopic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, which was initially widely dismissed by critics and criticised for its sexual politics and historical inaccuracies, yet turned out out to be a massive crowd-pleaser with a three month season and eventually got nominated for multiple Oscars. Happy end!
We often follow these closely, as they can make or break a film. A great example: Freddie Mercury biopic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, which was initially widely dismissed by critics and criticised for its sexual politics and historical inaccuracies, yet turned out out to be a massive crowd-pleaser with a three month season and eventually got nominated for multiple Oscars. Happy end!
Currently screening dramedy GREEN BOOK has also had an interesting development: Initial reviews for the story of a friendship between a black piano virtuoso and his white, working class driver were mostly positive, and a few weeks before its New Zealand release it won the Best Picture Golden Globe – brilliant, we thought. A little later the film received a whopping five Oscar nominations, for Best Picture and for the two male leads, Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, among others. Score, we rejoiced. Then the backlash happened.
GREEN BOOK tells the true story of Bronx bouncer Tony Vallelonga (Mortensen) who gets hired by world-class pianist Don Shirley (Ali) to be his driver on a concert tour to the Deep South in 1962. (The Green Book of the title is the name of a travel guide that listed hotels and restaurants that welcomed African Americans – a necessity especially in the deeply racist South.) As the trip progresses, Tony witnesses the countless humiliations Don has to endure and slowly overcomes his own racist tendencies. The two form an unlikely friendship.
The post Oscar nomination backlash came down on multiple fronts: the real relationship between Tony and Don (they weren’t friends! Just boss and employee!); the fact that the story was told from Tony’s point of view (white saviour narrative!); and screenwriter Nick Vallelonga, Tony’s son (questionable tweets). And look, I’m not saying these things aren’t true – they may have very valid points. It’s just that it’s hard to dismiss a film when it’s so entertaining, and sweet, and full of delights. We loved watching it, and so did our audiences. It’s one of those films where crowds leave the auditorium smiling, moved and happy to have watched it. At the end of the day, maybe that’s the best way of judging a movie.
