The Green Book: Oscar who wudda thot?

When I first noticed there was a film about segregation called the Green Book, I supposed it would be a preachy film that rewrote history in order to insult all working class stiffs and southerners as evil.

You know: Sort of like Spike Lee's film, which was supposed to be an action comedy but so full of weirdness and cartoonish strawman characters and hatred that I couldn't watch it.

And when I heard the black protagonist was gay, I supposed it would be like the Favorite, with a weird beginning that didn't make sense, and a sociopathic manipulative protagonist that made me turn it off even before it got to the character assassination of a poor lonely and somewhat stupid Queen Anne.

But then I saw the film stared Viggo Mortensen, who although further to the left than most of Hollywood establishment, has artistic integrity. He usually chooses to be in artistic films instead of being typecast: The Road comes to mind. And apparently he was one of those who was behind the making of the film.

And I must say: Mortensen makes the film believable.

He is so good in this film that after ten minutes, you forget your are watching a cultured artist pretending to be a working class Italian bouncer, and forgot he was acting (the best actors, according to Michael Caine are those who you don't say: hey he was a good actor, but those you don't even see the person behind the character).

Why, yes.

Mortensen plays an Italian bouncer who becomes a chauffeur/bodyguard to a classic pianist who is going on a tour of concerts in the still segregated south of the early 1960s.

But it is more than that. It is the flip side of "Driving Miss Daisy", where the affluent protagonist is schooled by the driver who is from a different class, and the affluent protagonist teaches a few things to the proud and rigid driver during their long trip through the segregated south of the early 1960s...


The core of the story isn't even segregation, although the stark picture of the south seems realistic to those of us old enough to remember those days: it is about two people from vastly different cultures learning to get along and understand each other.

The description of the film from IMDb pretty well gets to the real reason that people will like this film and will be willing to watch it 30 years from now, when all the "trendy" films are forgotten:

Together, the snobbishly erudite pianist and the crudely practical bouncer can barely get along with their clashing attitudes to life and ideals. However, as the disparate pair witness and endure America's appalling injustices on the road, they find a newfound respect for each other's talents and heart to face them together. In doing so, they would nurture a friendship and understanding that would change both their lives. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Indeed, if they had cut out the nude scene of the driver/bodyguard rescuing the pianist after a gay tryst in a shower ( by bribing the cops), I would recommend it to show your kids to remind them of those days. On the other hand, having grandkids who watch netflix, I might say we grandmoms are more shocked they included that scene than my grand kids would be.

So go watch it and enjoy!