Green Book

Cert: 12A; Now showing

Bouncer Tony ‘Lip’ Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) is jobless after the nightclub he works at closes. After being interviewed by the great concert pianist Dr Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) for a position as private driver, the casually racist Tony finally accepts even though it will involve opening doors and carrying bags for “a negro”.

The job will entail a tour of the Mid-West and Deep South that will see the doctor play venues right up to Christmas Eve. Given that it is 1962, the cultured, urbane musician has picked an interesting time to tour the notorious segregation stronghold.

It begins as an uneasy professional relationship that sees the Italian junkyard dog and the refined classicist spark off one another about matters of diction, snobbery and race. But soon, Tony becomes more than a driver and uses his muscle and street smarts to keep his employer out of harm’s way.

Once half of gross-out comedy kings the Farrelly Brothers, Peter Farrelly here steps into straighter drama territory with fine results.

Although at times unable to hide its sermonising, for the most part Green Book isa sturdy chalk-and-cheese road movie about two men in an evocative era meeting each other halfway and perhaps laying out a blueprint for a brighter future.

A portly Mortensen just about shaves Ali with a transformative performance but they make a nifty double act regardless. Shame its festive hue is wasted on a January release.