9/10 The trailer didn’t do a whole lot for me and gave me a bad Hallmark movie vibe to it a little bit so I was slightly nervous seeing this film. Add to that the fact that director Peter Farrelly has only up until this point co-directed gross out comedies with his brother, Bob Farrelly (“Dumb & Dumber”, “There’s Something About Mary”, “Shallow Hal”, etc.) and my expectations weren’t super high. However, I can gladly admit that I was completely wrong and that this is actually one of the best films of 2018. The fact that this is a true story that I didn’t know about fascinated me and was an engaging and timely story as well. The two lead performances from Viggo Mortensen and Marshal Ali are fantastic and they play off of each other very well. Farrelly’s background in directing and writing comedy comes in handy well because there are some surprisingly hilarious moments in this film where I found myself laughing out loud. I’m usually more drawn to darker, cynical and pessimistic films with adult subject matter but this film, although dealing with racism and some darker subject matter, is a feel good film that will raise your spirits and put a smile on your face by the end of it. There are some sad and emotional moments and one in particular between our two leads had me holding back tears. The film tackles its subject matter in a mature and entertaining way so it doesn’t feel like it is talking down to the audience or lecturing any particular group. The music in the film is beautiful and ties in very well with the film, since music is part of its subject matter. The only negatives I can speak of are relatively minor but from researching I know that the family of Dr. Don Shirley, who is portrayed by Ali in the film have said a few details about his portrayal were false. For example, Ali in the film isn’t close to his family members but apparently in real life, he was very close to his family members and not estranged with his brother as the film would have you believe. So there may have been some liberties taken involving certain character traits or situations to drum up conflict and add drama. Also, although the film’s message against racism is very important, it doesn’t really add anything new to that crucial message. Minor quips aside though, this film took me by surprise at how well made it was, how funny and entertaining it was and it feels like a film you could rewatch a few times and still enjoy it each time. Definitely give “Green Book” a look and enjoy one of 2018’s best films.
#ShirleyYouCantBeSerious / #DontGiveMeAnyLip / #SongsOfTheSouth / #HidalgoUnchained / #TheGreenBookMile / #TheCrackOfDon
Top Pun Reviews 