This film is a 12A, was released on February 1st 2019, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS
Introduction
Last week, I did the impossible and stayed up and watched the Oscars live from the USA. If you don't know, they started at 1:00am and ended at 4:15am here in the UK, and I had school the next day. But anyway, I made guesses for each category and was mostly right. As the night drew closer to the biggest award of the night, Best Picture, I think everyone was thinking the same thing. As the nominations were being announced for the thousandth time, I was saying "Come on, we know it's going to be Roma. Just tell us already and get Alfonso's fourth speech of the night over and done with so I can get some sleep..." and as the envelope was being opened, the words I weren't expecting to hear were said: 'Green' 'Book'
Thoughts Going In
I didn't just go to see Green Book because it was a hit at the awards or because it was awarded Best Picture at the Oscars. I went to see this because I actually thought it looked like a good movie. Some great actors, and interesting story, and fair amounts of praise. It proved that that was enough to send me to the cinema to see it though, so I sat down with an open mind and was ready to see what the Oscars claim to be the best film of last year.
The Story
In 1962, a bouncer named Tony Lip, played by Viggo Mortensen, is hired to be a driver for a musician as he goes on tour in the Southern states of the USA. The only concern Tony has is that the musician, played by Mahershala Ali, is a coloured man. Despite this, the money at the end convinces him it's a job worth taking, so he begins the two-month journey and faces many challenges along the way.
What I Liked
The two lead performances in this film were so terrific. Viggo Mortensen is such a talented actor. I found it hard to believe that this same man was Aragorn in Lord of the Rings over a decade ago. He played the character of Tony Lip very well. He was entertaining but also really compelling and I felt invested in his character. But the real star of the show here was Mahershala Ali, who was fantastic. He was very convincing as this character. He was polite, somewhat poetic with what he said, and emotionally tough considering all the troubles he is faced with in the film. The chemistry between these two felt very genuine as they begin quite unfriendly with one another, but as time goes on they become closer and it feels like you see a real bond being formed over the course of the film. So, the two leads were excellent. I should also add that I feel Ali was more of a leading role alongside Mortensen as opposed to being supporting like many awards have claimed him to be. But then again, putting him in the leading category would've risked Rami from not winning, and I didn't want that.
The story was also well told. The film does a good job of developing this relationship as well as delivering a powerful narrative. On top of that, it is really entertaining. The subject matter is quite deep so I was surprised that there were as many laughs and scenes of general happiness without them distracting from the tone of the story. So, I was entertained as well as invested.
What I Didn't Like
My biggest issue with Green Book is that I think it isn't awards-worthy. This isn't an issue with the film itself but I just don't think it deserves what it was awarded for. I think it made sense for Ali to win all the awards he did but I think Best Picture was a bit of a stretch. This seems to be a running trend with this year's Best Picture nominations as the ones I've seen aren't worthy of it. Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star is Born and this are all great movies in my opinion, but not worthy of this prestigious honour for various reasons. I won't go into detail about all of the afore mentioned films, but in Green Book's case, I simply think it's a bit too light-hearted and not deep enough in the subject matter to gain the recognition it got. But I can see why the Oscars gave it Best Picture because it's a simple film that's pro-diversity which the academy has been accused of not being.
Conclusion
Well, that's really all I have to say. Green Book is a very uplifting film with two brilliant performances from two great actors and a story that is well told and investing. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Despite this, I don't think it deserves the Best Picture win, but Mahershala Ali definitely deserved his wins though. All in all, this is a very entertaining film. It may not have a huge impact on cinema, but I think it's a great film if you want to be uplifted or told a very heartfelt story.
I'm going to give Green Book an 8/10
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