Green Book (2018) Universal Pictures / Lionsgate 📢 Director: Peter Farrelly. 💰 Producers: Jim Burke, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Charles B. Wessler. 👫 Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini. 🏆 Awards ceremony: -91st Academy Awards: February 24, 2019. Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. 🎭 Other films nominated for Best Picture this year: -Black Panther. -BlacKkKlansman. -Bohemian Rhapsody. -The Favourite. -Roma. -A Star Is Born. -Vice. 📕 Plot summary: In 1962, a wealthy black pianist hires a New York club bouncer to accompany him for a tour of the Deep South where he intends to play several gigs. The pair form an uneasy alliance despite their differences but ultimately come together when racial discrimination raises its ugly head on a frequent basis. 💥 Standout scene(s): -Dr. Shirley discovering Kentucky Fried Chicken for the first time before Tony throws the empty box out of the car window and then has to reverse up to retrieve it. Hilarious. -Dr. Shirley's meltdown scene in the back of the car after they are released from jail, with Tony telling him that he is more black than Dr. Shirley. 🔑 Facts: -The 91st Academy Awards. -Nominated for 5 Academy Awards, it won 3: Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali), Original screenplay. -Second Best Picture outing for Viggo Mortensen (THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING). -Second Best Picture outing for Mahershala Ali (MOONLIGHT). -The title of the film refers to The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide for African American travelers that contains the addresses of those motels, restaurants, and filling stations that would serve them in the Jim Crow South. 🙂 Personal opinion: My only negative here is that the film takes a full half-hour to get moving, but when it does it really gains traction. The relationship between Tony and Dr. Shirley is so well presented and such an entertaining ride that you simply cannot ignore their chemistry. The obnoxious, arrogant and foul-mouthed bouncer and the well-to-do musician strike up a bond as the story progresses and it's such a buddy/road movie. Mahershala Ali is utterly unfaultable. Superb character, excellently written and well presented on screen. A definite Oscar-worthy performance from him. Viggo Mortensen is equally entertaining on a slightly more irritating level, but his morals do him justice in the end. His colourful and descriptive language, as well as his ravenous eating habits (including folding a 25" pizza in half so that it resembles a small rug before consuming it) are just wonderous to watch! King Aragorn turned into a right slob! The comedic elements are subtle but unmistakable, arriving at infrequent intervals throughout. The clever thing is that they do not detract from the seriousness of the film and it works so well. Such a great (Oscar-winning) screenplay. The discrimination encountered by Dr. Shirley is uncomfortable but also a reminder of how things used to be. You really feel for the guy. As the film develops, we start to see his vulnerabilities which come to the forefront of his character. This is such an incredible film. Almost perfect. Did it deserve the Oscar? ✅YES. One of the best films I have seen in recent years. 9/10

Review date: 02 August 2025