Road-movie drama starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. New York, 1962. Nightclub bouncer "Tony Lip", in need of temporary employment, gets himself hired as a driver for concert pianist Don Shirley. It transpires that Shirley, a black man, requires not only transport but protection during his upcoming tour of the segregated Deep South. Though the intellectual Shirley and the slovenly, bigoted Tony initially clash, a firm friendship develops.
He's better known for gross-out fare such as Dumb and Dumber, but Green Book finds Peter Farrelly trying his hand at more awards-friendly material, channelling the touring troubles of African-American musician Don Shirley into an odd-couple dramedy. Viggo Mortensen plays Tony Vallelonga, an Italian-American bouncer hired in 1962 to chauffeur pianist Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on a tour of the Deep South in the run-up to Christmas. Mortensen turns in a charming, comedically gifted performance as the racist-turned-rough diamond. Ali is even finer, and the discreet way he conveys Shirley's heartache is terrifically moving. Their unlikely friendship recalls Driving Miss Daisy, with the film establishing itself in that same virtuous but simplified and commercially friendly tradition. Mortensen and Ali make an irresistible duo in a well-meaning and touching (albeit slightly misjudged) film that boasts plenty of polish but lacks the requisite grit. Right down to its crowd-pleasing conclusion, it gives 1960s race relations an unnecessarily accessible overhaul.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga | Viggo Mortensen |
| Don Shirley | Mahershala Ali |
| Dolores | Linda Cardellini |
| Jules Podell | Don Stark |
| Johnny Venere | Sebastian Maniscalco |
| Oleg | Dimiter D Marinov |
| George | Mike Hatton |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Peter Farrelly |
