Viggo Mortensen & Mahershala Ali Are Awesome In This Biopic!

Rating: 10/10 (12 March 2019)

Frank Anthony Vallelonga, Sr (Viggo Mortensen) is the husband of Dolores (Linda Cardelina) and the father of two sons, Nick and Frank, Jr. This man is a bouncer at nightclubs and goes under the nickname of Tony Lip because of his ability to BS. Tony lives in New York with his family in the early 1960s. He is Italian and talks like a sailor and also speaks Italian. The club Tony is a bouncer for closes down for repair and Tony needs a job. A human being with amazing gastric ability like Tony can only earn so much money from hot dog eating contests!
Dr. Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) is the polar opposite of Tony. He is not a medical doctor and has doctorates in music and psychology instead. He is also a gifted African-American pianist from the age of 3 and beyond. Dr. Shirley is well-breed, polite and intelligent. Tony is offered a job from Dr. Shirley to act as the man's chauffeur and body guard. He has to drive him through the prejudiced south to gigs. They use the titular Green Book as a guide to motels both men can stay at.
Two men who are poles apart become very good friends in this wonderful biopic! Tony introduces Don to the music of other black musicians like Little Richard and Aretha Franklin. He also shows him how good KFC is. On the other hand, Don teaches Tony how to write lovely letters to his wife and how to be well mannered.
Tony's son wanted to tell everyone about this unlikely friendship and this is a loving portrayal of his late father who was born in 1930 and died in 2013. Dr. Shirley was three years older than Tony and by a strange coincidence, died in the same year. I recommend this movie highly!