DRIVING DR. SHIRLEY

Rating: 7/10 (11 March 2019)

Up against racially charged cinematic explosions at the Oscars, "The Green Book" took home the grand prize, and made Spike Lee attempt to flee the premises. The polarizing win makes for healthy debate and curiosity seekers should check this film out.
This role reversal, buddy-buddy shtick flows mighty thick, but it actually happened. A good natured Italian thug is hired to drive a prim and proper black musician on a tour of the South. In 1962. Yup. A big-hearted, big-stomached Viggo Mortensen stumbles perfectly through his inevitable transformation from racist simpleton to enlightened simpleton, while Mahershala Ali's hard shell eventually softens enough to join in the Merry Christmassy ending.
The cookie cutter script is baked just right, but anyone hoping for an edgier take on America's race relations best look elsewhere. Where "The Green Book" shines is in the background details - the sets, the cars, the hotels, Little Richard on the radio. This is 1962 America.
It may not have been the game changer folks craved to see groping golden statuettes on Oscar's night, but Mortensen and Ali made it come to life, and that's why the "The Green Book" succeeds.