It’s Not Easy, Being Green
1962 at the Copa, Copacabana Night Club in New York City, “Tony Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) is working as a bouncer when he is laid off for a temporary shut down. Looking at a few months without pay, he accepts a job offer to escort a musician, Dr. Don Shirley (Marershala Ali) on an eight-week tour in the Deep South.
The job will not be easy. Dr. Shirley is a black man invited to perform at many high-end establishments while the South is still enforcing Jim Crow laws, and Tony needs to ensure that Don arrives for every performance. To help, Don’s record label provides Tony with a copy of the Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide used by African-Americans to find hotels and restaurants that will serve them in the South.
At first, the two get along as well as the odd couple with Tony being the slob, while Don is more intuned with etiquette. But as their relationship grows, they begin to become fond and eventually learn from each other.
If all of this sounds a little generic, it is because it is. The story is convenient and loaded with tropes. Although you have seen this type of movie before, Green Book hits its notes well enough that it doesn’t matter. Mortensen and Ali are enjoyable to watch in every scene and the story is told well. It’s formulaic but not overly contrived. I had a good time with it.
At the end of the film, I was surprised to learn how it is based on the real-life experiences of two men. As I do after watching any film that is based on real-life events, I head to the internet to see how well the movie sticks to the truth. But instead, the internet is really upset about something else… Green Book is VERY CONTROVERSIAL!
Although racism in America during the 1960s plays a major role, to some Green Book is “tone deaf”, “whitewashing”, and it “spoon-feeds racism to white people”. Viggo’s Tony Lip is a “white savior”, while Ali’s Don Shirley is a “magical Negro”.
Some want you to believe the film is racist! Others defend! Let’s die on this hill!
I found it ironic how the internet is at war over a piece of entertainment whose central message is about understanding and acceptance.
Well, I understand. It’s true how Green Book doesn’t dive deep to expose how the ugly Jim Crowe South was for people of colour, and by removing those laws society has only managed to sweep racism from its surface. Films can be powerful and can leave people with a false sense of reality, and it is possible that Green Book could do just that. So, I accept. I believe anyone is justified for not feeling satisfied with the film for shying away from the grim truth.
But…
While I won’t defend Green Book for its oversimplification of a complicated situation, I don’t believe it should be a requirement for every film about racism to get into the weeds.
Check out this clip of Elmo and Whoopi Goldberg on Sesame Street:
Two people from different backgrounds come together, explore their differences, and grow. Elmo and Whoopi do not need to get into the ugliness of racism when the goal is to destigmatize our differences. Green Book is about the relationship between two nuanced individuals and not a history lesson. I think sometimes we become so focused on what a movie doesn’t do, we forget to take it for what it is.
Oh, and I did eventually get to how true to life Green Book is. From what I can tell most of it probably isn’t. Tony’s son wrote the script and you can tell he looked up to Dad. The Shirley family denies a lot of it. Both have passed away so they are not around to ask anymore. Take it all with a grain of salt.
#MarsApproved
Excellent paragraph under the elmo clip, well said.
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Thank you, sir!
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I really enjoyed this film but thought Black Klansman was a lot stronger in terms of message and film making, that same year.
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I haven’t seen it yet. Actually went to watch it on Netflix the other day and it was already gone! But I hear good things!
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Pretty decent film Kev. One that you have reviewed that I actually remember watching haha.
Great stuff.
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It eventually had to happened
!
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bahaha
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I still haven’t seen this! I’ve had very mixed reports from folk I know (and trust movie wise) so think I’ll blame that. Another positive one, though… so maybe I’ll hold off watching Terminator Genesis. Haha!
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Oof… Terminator Genesis has one cool scene. People are overly uptight in regards to Green Book for some reason. Or maybe they just don’t like it.
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My neighbor is the biggest Don Shirley fan on the planet. When I told him about this film he hugged me like I was responsible for it. He is helping to fund and produce a documentary on Shirley’s life.
Good take Mars. I felt the same as you. You probably liked it more than I did but I enjoyed it. I’m a Viggo fan and wasn’t dissapointed. I’ve never seen an actor commit to eating and smoking more than he did.
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Honestly, I had never heard of Don Shirley until I watched this. I would love to see a doc from his point of view.
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I had heard of him. He wasnt an any of the jazz I listen to. Eccentric guy from what I can gather. Lived in an apartment at Carnegie Hall in NY. There’s a documentary called ‘Lost Bohemia’ that is kinda interesting. You might enjoy it. Shirley is in a couple scenes. They interview the tenants.
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I really enjoyed Green Book. I am a big Viggo fan, so I went to see it just because he was in it. Mahershala Ali and Viggo have great chemistry together, I would love to see them make another movie together, one set in the modern day.
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Yeah, they were really good together. I thought the hate was overblown for this one.
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I have no issues with the movie.
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