Green Book goes the extra mile

Rating: 9/10 (31 January 2019)

This is a hugely enjoyable movie that shows how far race relations in America has come and perhaps also how far it still has to go, told with a good storyline, simple plot device (the road trip) but most of all with really sympathetic lead characters. Two opposites in NY life, Tony Lip, the working class Italian nightclub bouncer from the Bronx ( Viggo Mortensen) and the world class African American pianist Dr Don Shirley ( Mahershala Ali) who lived in a flat above Carnegie Hall, team up for a tour down South. Based on a true story, the road trip shows us that opposite characters can learn humanity and civil understanding of another's world viewpoint from each other in an entertaining and humourous way, and survive the dangers, prejudices and stark reality of life in the Deep South in 1962. Go see it with an open heart and mind and you will be entertained and educated as you enjoy this tale of two men's journey towards mutual understanding.