A delightful road movie with terrific performances from both of its actors

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2019)

Green Book is a comedy-drama film directed and co-written by Peter Farrelly (Dumb & Dumber, There's Something About Mary). Starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, it is a delightful road movie with terrific performances from both of its actors.
In 1962, New York bouncer Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) is looking for extra money after the nightclub he works at closes for renovations. Thanks to one of his friends, Tony lands a job as a chauffeur for "Doc" Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a talented African-American pianist embarking on a concert tour of the American Deep South. Due to the strong animosity against African-Americans in the Deep South, Tony is required to take on extra work along the way as he is also required to use his skills as a bouncer to protect Doc and ensure he has a safe journey with his band.
Heartfelt and funny, Green Book takes what could have been another generic road trip movie and turns it into one of the most interesting depictions of an otherwise unlikely friendship. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali have superb chemistry with each other and the film's witty screenplay frequently had me looking forward to every moment of dialogue between both of them, especially during the driving scenes. The film also does a fantastic job of establishing the prejudiced atmosphere of the American Deep South in the 1960s without making its citizens seem too much like caricatures of typical white supremacists. Director Peter Farrelly near-flawlessly balances the film's comedy and drama, which is surprising as he is primarily known for his work only in the former genre. He has certainly shown he is more than capable of handling films like this and I am hopeful he can keep this up in any future projects he may end up involved in.
I rate it a solid 9/10