CHEER! - (9 stars out of 10)

Rating: 9/10 (8 March 2019)

The stage curtains open ...
It is easy to see why "Green Book" won three awards at the Academy including Best Picture for the year 2018 - and it had some stiff competition too. It is a heartwarming human story with excellent performances, a good script and tight direction.
When the Copacabana shuts down for 2 months due to renovations, its employees are forced to find other employment during that time. Among them is one of the Nightclub's bouncers, "Tony Lip" Vallelonga. He is offered two different jobs - he can either do "things" for the mob, or he can chauffeur an African American pianist named Don Shirley (or as Tony calls him, "Doc"), through the deep south in safety and to his gigs on time. For $125/week plus expenses, he accepts the driving job.
It is the story of how both men overcome their own prejudices, fears and learn to respect each other and become life long friends. The acting was outstanding with Mahershala Ali winning the award for Best Supporting Actor in his role as "Doc" Shirley. The movie pulls you in almost immediately and keeps you engaged and entertained for its entirety. When the movie ends, you don't want it to.
I loved "Green Book". It is a high recommend from me. Do I think it deserved to win Best Picture? Sure, I do. Then again, there were two or three others I also felt deserved to win it. But, yeah ... I felt like I was watching an award winning movie with an award winning performance. I would certainly watch this film again.