Green Book (2018)

October 12, 2022 8:08 AM

Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) is a world-class African-American pianist who's about to embark on a concert tour in the Deep South in 1962. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx. Despite their differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation.

Directed by Peter Farrelly (Dumb & Dumber).

Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, and Peter Farrelly.

77% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Currently available for digital rental in the US on multiple outlets. JustWatch listing.

Today, I'm going to post a bunch of movies that have merit and are worth discussing, but to one degree or another, are problematic. I will be tagging them #problematicmovies

posted by DirtyOldTown (6 comments total)

I liked Morrissey’s closing theme.
posted by pxe2000 at 10:15 AM on October 12, 2022 [4 favorites]

When it was awarded Best Picture at the Oscars that year, someone caught a clip of Chadwick Boseman sitting in the audience, turning around to share a resigned look with Michael B. Jordan. That clip was blasted across Twitter the next day; my then-roommate shared it himself, captioning it "King T'Challa is displeased!"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:18 AM on October 12, 2022 [3 favorites]

I haven't seen this movie, but I did want to point out how cool it is that the real Tony Lip played NYC mob boss Carmine Lupertazzi in The Sopranos!
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:33 PM on October 12, 2022

Not so sure on the merit of this one lol. Reminded me a bit of 70s issue movies that argue by exemplar, but don't actually disprove stereotypes, and so don't have any power against the slightly more sophisticated "overlapping normal distributions!!" racism that I shake my fist at all the time. Praising this movie felt like a step back, applauding for something that should be less than the bare minimum.
posted by fleacircus at 2:31 AM on October 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

I've never actually seen this. It seems terrible. But it won Best Picture, however unjustified, so it has a cultural footprint big enough to bear discussion.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:58 AM on October 13, 2022

I saw it a couple of weeks ago. Thought it was pretty good. It was set in 1962, and supposedly a true story. It's not supposed to be any more that what it is.
posted by zengargoyle at 6:06 PM on October 13, 2022