Safe and predictable from start to finish

Rating: 5/10 (26 November 2018)

"Green Book" (2018 release; 130 min.) is "inspired by true events" we are reminded. As the movie opens, it is "New York City 1962" and Tony works as a bouncer in the Copacabana club. When club closes for renovations, he needs another job. One day he gets a call: a doctor needs a driver. The given address turns out to be Carnegie Hall, and the "doctor" is in fact acclaimed pianist Dr. Don Shirley. After some back and forth, Shirley hires Tony, and off they go... At this point we are 15 minutes into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you will just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest movie directed by Peter Farrelly, who along with his brother, has brought us "Dumb and Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary", among many others. Here he goes a very different direction, namely on the one hand another take on "The Odd Couple", and on the other hand the racial tensions in the deep south in the early 60s. As to the odd couple Tony and Shirley, it provides for some comic relief (much of the theater crowd roared approvingly). As to the racial tensions, they are as predictable as they are mind blowing that this went on just 60 years ago. But truth be told, if you want to see a movie about those issues, there are far better movies than this one. Viggo Mortensen tries way too hard to be a convincing Italian-American from the Bronx, and that is true as well of the family gatherings early in the movie, you can practically hear the director yelling "..and ACTION". Mahershala Ali (as Shirley) fares somewhat better. Kudos for the production sets (I never tire of the cars from that era).
"Green Book" expanded wide this weekend. The Sunday matinee screening where I saw this at was, much to my surprise, packed to the rafters (mostly seniors, I might add). If you are in the mood for "The Odd Couple" meets "Driving Miss Daisy", I readily suggest that you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.