Green Book (2018)

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2019)

God dammit I love Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. Any friend of mine knows I RAVE about these two and in Green Book, they take an above average script, a workman like production to a greater height.
Viggo Mortensen can do anything. Simple as that. The man is our modern day Robert De Niro but better. Tony easily could've been unlikable, but Mortensen exudes charm without sparing complexities. His Tony still says wrong and insensitive things but with Mortensen's nuance the audience are able to understand where this comes from. Another staggeringly warming performance to add to Mortensen's impressive resume.
Mahershala Ali, I said to everyone after seeing Moonlight he would be the next big thing and my god is he a talent. Subtle, refined and vulnerable. Ali contrasts his mighty stature with an incredible vulnerability that gives Doc Shirley all the layers that in a lesser actor's hands would be one note. Mahershala Ali never fails to impress, at times showing his comedic chops but then his deep isolation only seen through his expressive eyes.
Linda Cardellini also provides solid support to a script that doesn't really do her any favours. The minor gripes I had with the film was the workman like effort of the cinematography and editing. Simple two way shots and cuts but this was all pushed aside for Mortensen's and Ali's magnetic performances.
The story was interesting and one hopes that it was true and without any addition of false events as some scenes were genuinely funny and it would be even funnier to know that they happened in reality.
Whilst the script in my opinion wasn't worthy of an Academy Award Nomination (mainly due to worthier competition), there are some incredibly subtle references and notions that were fun to pick out whilst the more overt references were also enjoyable.
The film is infectiously funny, heartwarmingly touching and I completely recommend the picture to go and have a great laugh and an enjoyable time. I usually go to watch more serious and depressing stories at the cinema but it was a lovely change to come out of the cinema with a great big beaming smile on my face, which was in no small part to Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali.