Green Book is the Academy Award nominated comedy-drama based on the true story of an unlikely friendship during the racially contentious 1960s. It stars Mahershala Ali as African-American pianist Don Shirley and Viggo Mortensen as Tony Vallelonga, an Italian-American bouncer who served as Shirley's driver and bodyguard during his concert tour of the Deep South.
The story was one that I hadn’t heard before, so I found the plot to be very interesting. The script was honest, smart and funny. The character development was done so well that you are really able to understand these characters. Mortensen and Ali had great chemistry and worked well off of each other. I really connected to Ali's character. He played something so different than what I have seen of him in the past. He was emotionally conflicted, brave, intelligent, and carried himself with poise and class. I thought that it was incredibly well done. He definitely deserves all of the accolades that he is receiving right now.
Additionally, the material was intense but laid out in a tasteful way. There were great themes all throughout the film, one in particular that I thought was powerful was when one of members of Shirley’s trio band said, “it takes courage to change people’s hearts”. What Dr. Shirley was doing by playing piano in the Deep South was bigger than him and he knew it.
This movie had it all, great acting, plot and script. It’s a true, heartwarming, American story that all should see.
No comments:
Post a Comment