"Green Book": 2019 Oscar Winner

Green Book (2018) received the Best Picture Award at the Oscars and Golden Globes. This movie started out under-the-radar of the common movie-goer. However, something switched on and organizations were hosting viewings along with personal displays. I finally had the opportunity to see the film, so read here now for the review!

STORY: An Italian bouncer from the Bronx named Tony Lip (Viggo Mortenson) is hired to drive renowned pianist, Dr. Shirley (Mahershala Ali). Th

e tricky part is the tour goes through the deep south during the early 1960s.

The duo of Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortenson is one I never knew I needed to see. They represent the friendship of two real men from different backgrounds. Ali won the supporting actor Oscar while Mortenson was nominated for lead actor. Both characters are extremely complex.

Tony isn't just straight racist but was a product of the times. Being educated and successful still left room for heavy drinking and social isolation issues for Shirley. The two ended up being what each other needed. Dr. Shirley needed someone more than an acquaintance while Tony needed to get past his own bias.

Now let's look individually. I didn't quite know what to expect from Ali's performance, but I was not disappointed. He is representing the unique personality of Dr. Shirley. He ascertained three doctoral degrees, yet he faces discrimination based on his looks. He adopts his refined loner persona to perfection. I'd like to point out his portrayal of Cottonmouth from Luke Cage is by far the best character from that show.

Viggo Mortenson can transform into whatever he wants apparently. This man is Aragorn from Lord of the Rings I must remind you, so compare that to Tony Lip. He's an Italian man from the Bronx through and through. He can famously talk people into almost anything and has the appetite of an elephant. Even the way he carried himself added to the character. His gait, mannerisms and basically everything else is great.

Going back to characters being complex, many of the small side characters are too. While this one cop was racist, the deputy was more understanding. In another scene, one of the two policemen were black. This theme continues throughout the movie. That's what makes this movie a bit different than others. One side is not automatically 100% racist, and that may be why some critics didn't like the film (take that as you will). Some critics called this film "bad writing" which is absurd after everything I just mentioned.

Combine all of that with excellent production design, editing, directing, writing, and you name it. I recommend this picture. My movie rating is A+.