Incredibly well acted comedy/drama that touches on the complexity of institutional and cultural discrimination.

Rating: 9/10 (13 December 2018)

So I saw Green Book at the theater. Of course I was excited to see the movie based upon the incredible cast. I'm always hesitant around Oscar season because it seems there is normally at least one film that gets far more praise than it deserves. I'm happy to say Green Book was certainly not that film. It all around was a great film that covers a wide variety of complex issues while providing a crowd-pleasing experience for all.
The premise of the movie follows the true story of the talented and stoic musician Doc Shirley and his talkative blue-collar driver/ bodyguard Tony Lip as they go on a music tour of the Deep South. Both men are presented to be polar opposites and hold false perceptions towards each other. Of course along the way the two men realize the perceived differences between them are not so wide and a budding friendship blooms. The film covers a wide variety of topics related to social class, cultural norms, segregation, racism, substance abuse, and sexuality. The film manages to fit all these topics nicely into a well rounded and entertaining buddy comedy drama that will leave you smiling.
Of course the film also acts as a backdrop to demonstrate the historical setting of the Jim Crow South and race relations as a whole from that era. There are number of times throughout the film where they illustrate the harsh realities of discrimination and prejudice faced against black individuals due to racism. Of course the film also takes it's social commentary a step further by looking at class differences that exist between individuals and just how those also create different life chances and cultural norms.
The film did capture a lot of the racial and ethnic tension felt from that era. Racism did not exist only in the south and the film illustrated that racial prejudice exists along many cultural avenues. The film asks questions about an individual's identity and just how much race plays into a person's concept of self. The film also demonstrates the harsh realities of stereotyping and just how all these cultural ideas are harmful particularly in regard to race.
Of course what makes this movie really special is its acting. Mahershala Ali sure knows how to pick a role. He brought such a complexity to the character. You really felt for his struggle and pain as he dealt with issues regarding racism and his own identity. His range as an actor allowed him to convincingly play the role of a complex and compelling character.
Viggo Mortensen was outstanding as expected. He has a way of transforming himself directly into the character. Not only did he put on quite a bit of weight for the role but he perfectly captured the mannerisms and colloquial manners of speech aswell. A less-talented actor could not have played the role and transformed the character into a likeable protagonist. I would not be surprised at all if both get nominated for Oscars for their performance. The movie it is worth watching entirely for their performances alone.
Directing wise there was nothing wrong with the film. The film was very dialogue-driven, but again the performances by the actor's made the film quite entertaining. Despite its length I didn't see any issue with pacing and I really didn't have any issues with unnecessary plot points. The score of the film was also quite impressive.
Now as far as negatives of the film there were a few points that could have been improved upon. Viggo Mortensen's character starts the film off with a display of his racial bias, but it never really goes anywhere. The film wants us to like its main character a little bit too much so we don't see the darker side of his prejudice. The film also had an opportunity to make more of a statement regarding the Jim Crow South. While it did have a number of examples of institutional and cultural discrimination, it only really scratched the surface of the racial tension of that era. Ultimately the film wanted to play more into the light-hearted comedy drama angle than a serious commentary on racial prejudice.
I thoroughly enjoyed Green Book. It was easily one of the most entertaining movies of 2018. The film had an interesting and compelling story that was grounded in incredible acting and solid directing. There are multiple moments throughout the film that will leave you laughing and cheering at the buddy morality tale about friendship and compassion. The film did lose a few points for playing it safe in regard to racial tensions, but that just wasn't the movie it was trying to make. It's hard to fault a film when it wasn't trying to make a gritty serious drama. A 9.25 out of 10.