USA TODAY International Edition
‘Book’ breaks barriers as new ones arise
There is feel-good familiarity to the big-hearted “Green Book,” so much so it’s bound to become a cable network holiday favorite airing in between constant showings of “A Christmas Story” and “Law & Order” marathons.
Directed by Peter Farrelly, the comedy-drama dabbles in humor and weighty matters equally well in tackling the prejudice of the Jim Crow South – and the initial intolerance of two very different men who find common ground, learn from each other and form a close friendship on a musical road trip.
“Green Book” rated PG-13; in select cities Friday, nationwide Nov. 21) offers shades of “The Odd Couple,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” and a race-flipped “Driving Miss Daisy.” But it’s the master class put on by Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali that powers this moving and often hilarious work and gives it mass appeal.
In “Green Book,” based on a real-life episode in 1962, Italian-American tough guy Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga (Mortensen) is one of the best bouncers in New York City, doing odd jobs to provide for his family in the Bronx. He’s asked to be the driver – and security force – for Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a renowned black classical pianist who is preparing for a concert tour of the South. Tony and Doc embark on their journey in a Coupe de Ville, armed with “The Negro Motorist Green Book” to let them know what hotels, restaurants and businesses are friendly to African-Americans.
Through adversity – including Doc being asked to use an outhouse at a classy function where he’s performing – the pair forge a deep respect.
Ali is aces in the musical sections and gets one Oscar-ready speech in the rain. Mortensen gets most of the best lines and is blessed by playing a big lug who becomes enlightened but never loses his rough-and-tumble charm.
Though not particularly innovative with its cinematic tropes, “Green Book” does them exceedingly well. And even if the ways it tackles bigotry and sexuality aren’t exactly hard-hitting, they are effective: The movie offers a salve for divisiveness, an abundance of empathy and inspiration for change.