Green Book....

Oscar season has come and gone and if at all possible, I like to see the winning film sometime before the ceremony along with some of the competition. This wasn't possible this year but Green Book arrived with much praise from friends and I was happy to find a seat in my favourite haunt at the Tyneside.

Quick precis of the film - an Italian 'bouncer' from the Bronx is employed to drive and take care of a renowned black jazz pianist by the name of Don Shirley. Shirley decides to take his trio from Manhattan down to USA's deep south in the early 1960s and all the problems of race and culture come tumbling out as these two try to come to terms with each others appreciation of life. The 'Green Book' title comes from a directory, a booklet on the scant and spartan accomodation available to African Americans on the road.

 Viggo Mortensen, nearly unrecognizable as Bronx heavy Tony Vallelonga, and Mahershala Ali, totally unknown to me, play the lead characters. Ali as the cultured but tortured black pianist who attempts to educate Mortensen on the finer things in life and Viggo who introduces Ali to the delights of Fried Chicken and self preservation.

Directed and co-written by Peter Farrelly it runs for 130 minutes of absorbing material as this odd couple go on a never to be forgotten life changing journey. The film is based on a true story and it is quite touching to find that both the original characters died in 2003 within months of each other. I really enjoyed my return to the cinema after a long break and this was a memorable re-introduction. Recommended viewing.