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GREEN BOOK
Director: Peter Farrelly Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Dimeter Marinov, Mike Hatton, Iqbal Theba MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 2:10 Release Date: 11/16/18 (limited); 11/21/18 (wide) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | November 20, 2018 The politics of Green Book would have seemed revolutionary during and maybe a decade after the era of the film's setting. Right now, those politics are so quaint and neutered that they almost come close to being backwards. Here's the story of a celebrated and accomplished pianist, who happens to be black, as he makes a tour of the Deep South of the United States in 1962. That's a story that still might hold some relevancy today, but it's not really the pianist's story being told here. Instead, it's the tale of the musician's white, racially prejudiced driver/bodyguard, who comes to realize that he might be able to call a black man his friend. Again, this angle of the story, inspired by a true one, would have meant something 50 years ago (or maybe even a decade or two later), but today, it's just another example of filmmakers ignoring the more difficult, more complicated, and more fascinating side of a story, in favor of focusing on the easier, more digestible, and more feel-good side. It's about witnessing systemic racism and realizing that it's wrong, and that's fine, if a little too simple. Doesn't the better and more involving story belong to the individual who has to experience and confront that systemic oppression? If a movie's intention is to show the true effects of such discrimination, isn't the more powerful approach to actively bear witness, instead of passively showing someone else witnessing it? Don't tell any of this to screenwriters Nick Vallelonga (the son of the real-life driver/bodyguard), Brian Hayes Currie, and director Peter Farrelly. Their approach to tackling the racism of the United States in the not-so-distant past is wholly passive. The film's primary intention, beyond showing the evolution of the relationship between the central characters, is to remind us how much things have changed in parts of and throughout the country in the 56 years since the year of this story. Things were bad then, but they've become better—in part because of people like the white protagonist here, who has a change of heart because he likes and admires one person. Taking the film's view of racial politics at face value, they're overly simplistic and possibly insulting. Focusing exclusively on that admittedly vital element of the film, though, might mean missing that there are elements here that elevate the film beyond its naïve outlook on race and racism. Mostly, it's the combination of the performances from the two lead actors, as well as how well they communicate the way these characters form a bond that, according to the film's coda, lasted until the real men died within months of each other in 2013. The eventual chauffer is Tony "Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), part of the well-dressed security at the Copacabana in New York City. When the club is closed for renovations, Tony finds himself temporarily out of a job, trying to figure out a way to provide for his wife Dolores (Linda Cardellini) and kids. Aside from being able to throw around people and throw back a lot of food, he doesn't have many talents. Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), the pianist, has heard about Tony, though—especially his ability to put a decisive end to trouble. That skillset would be much appreciated for Shirley's upcoming tour through the southern states, where segregation and racially motivated violence is a constant. Their relationship is slightly antagonistic at first. In an assortment of ways, Tony isn't the most enlightened of men. In terms of prejudice, the film makes a point of showing how Tony throws a couple of glasses in the garbage after seeing a pair of black repairmen drink from them. He doesn't see Shirley as much of a threat, but even so, when he leaves the car with his passenger in the back seat, Tony still makes a point of taking his wallet with him—offering a little shrug, not so much of apology, but of expecting his boss to understand. The entirety of the story is built around Tony's evolution, watching as Shirley maintains an air of dignity while constantly being degraded and taking the man's advice about writing letters to Dolores. Whether or not one buys the change as some kind of insightful statement on race, Mortensen's performance does convince us of the character's shift in perspective, even if it's a decidedly calculated move on the part of the screenwriters. Watching Ali, on the other hand, makes one really wonder how much more effective this story could have been, if it had been told from his character's point of view. Within the context of the film's story, Shirley is primarily here to suffer discrimination and maintain a polite demeanor while doing it. Within Ali's performance and beneath the character's courteous exterior, though, is a subtle emotional range in the face of these experiences, which do a lot to tell Shirley's side of a story that, in many ways, belongs to him in the first place. Although the filmmakers leave it in the background, there's an evolution to his character, too—believing his presence in the south might be enough to change hearts and slowly realizing that nothing he does makes an impact on the closed-minded. It's unfortunate that the film keeps Shirley as a secondary character, especially when the story reaches its climax with a decision that's passed off to Tony, as a way to cement his change of heart. Instances such as that one show Green Book to be a flawed and outmoded examination of racial politics, but these performances are enough to ensure that the burgeoning friendship between the two men becomes the heart of the film. Copyright © 2018 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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(for thematic content, language including racial epithets, smoking, some
violence and suggestive material)
