Pure Hollywood...but in a good way.

Rating: 6/10 (1 January 2019)

"Hollywood" is often used as a pejorative when describing films. In Spanish they say "americanada" to mean just about the same thing. Hollywood as an insult usually means predictable, over-saccharin, and always with a happy, feel-good ending. Green Book is guilty as charged. The funny thing about "Hollywood" movies, they are quite often very entertaining. Once again guilty as charged.
I will defend "Hollywood" to my Spanish friends by simply reminding them that most European movies are dreadfully boring, poorly directed (my biggest complaint), and they could use a little "Hollywood."
Viggo Mortensen was less than totally convincing as the New York Italian tough guy. The movie held nothing in the way of surprises. I like the fact that it didn't try to rewrite America's shameful history of racism but it at least gave us a glimpse of hope on a snowy Christmas Eve on a rural back road. We can do better as a nation. We have to do better.
Green Book is shy of being a good film, but my standards have been lowered considerably because of the torrent of crap I've watched this past year.