Crowd-pleaser bursting with heart, art and soul
But Green Book, which was co-written by Vallelonga’s son Nick, turns out to be much more than
The Odd Couple meets Driving Miss Daisy. Nick’s intimate knowledge of the real-life lead players helps lend Green Book its sense of groundedness. What’s more, it makes sure to give the audience permission to laugh, even as the stakes of Shirley’s trip become dangerously high.
It will surprise no one to learn that Tony and Dr Shirley undergo powerful transformations. However, cringeworthy scenes are a tribute to director Peter Farrelly, best known for directing such comedies as Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary with his brother Bobby.
The cumulative result is that
Green Book fires on all cylinders, creating the kind of satisfying movie-going experience that many observers thought Hollywood had forgotten how to make.
The great success of Green
Book lies in its modesty and the straightforward way it recognises seismic change in the incremental turning of a human heart.
| The Washington Post