Green Book

If I told you back in the 1990's that one of the Farrelly brothers ("There's Something About Mary," "Dumb and Dumber") would helm a potential Best Picture Oscar winner, you would call me crazy. Well, it's true. "Green Book" is a perfect blend of a feel-good buddy flick, and high caliber dramatic narrative. Throw in the biopic influence and some tremendous music, and it just plain works.

Viggo Mortensen plays Tony Lip, a stereotypical New York Italian in the 1960's. He's a devoted family man hustling to provide with his gift of gab and enforcer physique. He's the type of guy who talks loudly and carries a big stick. He takes a job as a driver and security for Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a quirky piano virtuoso doing a tour of the deep South. As unlikely a duo as they are, Dr. Shirley is fascinated by Tony's unrefined and uncompromising demeanor.

As they make the journey from New York through the Midwest and ultimately into the heart of darkness in the 1960's (Jackson, MS), the reason for Tony's employment becomes more clear. The invisible racial barrier that Northerners had the luxury of ignoring is made more glaringly obvious with every new venue, and both men evolve in a very unlikely way.

The heavy racial themes are done without the typical dramatic embellishment of prior films of this nature, and that seems to be the prevailing trend, which I find refreshing and makes them stand out from other fare. Because it's a buddy film at heart, the core is the chemistry of the characters portrayed, and both Mortensen and Ali are phenomenal. Both deserve Academy recognition.

During a year in which music is seeming to drive the most powerful films in contention, the way Ali tickles the ivory (even if it isn't genuine) is positively inspiring. Mortensen has done some fantastic work in his career, but this might be his finest yet. Never better than "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises" in 2007-08, he packed on the pounds for this one (forty-five according to my sources) and played the most empathetic character yet. You know that deep down he's just a kind-hearted, good person, despite the rough exterior, and that's the trademark of a great actor; conveying depth.

For me, this film struck a nerve that I still can't quite put my finger on. It managed to evoke an array of emotions that only a high quality film can. I dare you not to put this film on your top 10 list this year, and I'm very interested to see the future of Peter Farrelly's filmmaking career. 9/10.