{"id":21618,"date":"2019-02-19T15:08:31","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T15:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.anfocal.ie\/?p=21618"},"modified":"2019-02-19T15:11:39","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T15:11:39","slug":"green-book-review-buddy-comedy-fails-to-turn-page-on-race-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anfocal.ie\/index.php\/green-book-review-buddy-comedy-fails-to-turn-page-on-race-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Green Book Review: Buddy Comedy Fails To Turn Page On Race Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Katy Flannery<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Green Book is a buddy story set in 1960\u2019s America, that follows doctor Don Shirley
\n(Mahershala Ali), a world-class African-American pianist and his newly appointed comrade
\nItalian-American bouncer turned driver Tony [Lip] Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen).<\/p>\n

The film plays on the unlikely bi-racial friendship of the duo as they road-trip around the
\nsouthern states.<\/p>\n

\u2018Green Book\u2019 is a mix of daft humour and overdone stereotypical jokes while trying to tackle the
\nsubject of race relations in the southern states of America in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

Sound slightly off? Maybe because it is.<\/p>\n

The execution of the film leaves a lot to be desired.<\/p>\n

This should not come as a surprise as the film\u2019s director Peter Farrelly is one-half of the
\nintolerable Farrelly brothers, the auteurs who cursed us with such cinematic delights as \u2018Dumb
\nand Dumber\u2019 and \u2018Shallow Hal.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Image
A modern American classic<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now that\u2019s not to say the film is utterly unenjoyable; I did at times find myself moist eyed during
\nmore serious scenes and begrudgingly giggling at some of the films many MANY racial
\nstereotype jokes.<\/p>\n

Bizarrely enough, one of the subplots involves a running gag about fried chicken..<\/p>\n

Yes, you read that right.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mahershala Ali explaining to Viggo Mortensen that racism is bad<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The characters themselves are one dimensional and predictable.<\/p>\n

The character of Tony Lip is a walking talking caricature of a Bronx born Italian-American.<\/p>\n

Rough around the edges with an insatiable appetite, think Joey from Friends meets Vinnie The
\nDog from Family Guy and badabing-badaboom there you have it.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Tony is a simple man with \u2018not good grammar\u2019 whose talents include eating pizza like a taco and
\naltering his previously held racial biases after a series of predictable scenarios involving his
\nAfrican-American boss and a host of good-guy bad-guy southern hicks.<\/p>\n

On a scale of one to pepperoni pizza, how cheesy does this sound?<\/p>\n

\"\"
The best and worst shot in a film from 2018<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

In contrast, Doctor Shirley is a wealthy, well-spoken piano prodigy who fronts a musical trio
\nwhich has earned him the respect of many of post-JFK America’s white well-to-do.<\/p>\n

Shirley, who it also turns out to be gay (a fact which ostracises him during that era alone) does
\nnot feel he fits in with the black community nor is he truly accepted by the white community.<\/p>\n

His struggles in navigating through life as a \u2018negro\u2019 at a time where America was only on the
\ncusp of the civil rights movement did leave me with my heart in my mouth on more than one
\noccasion, which shows that Farrelly is at least technically proficient at his job behind the camera.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Ali has swept every precursor award this awards season, and will probably win his second Oscar
\nfor this film – which I will admit is not unqualified, and probably the only stand out positive in
\nthe film.<\/p>\n

Al’s character, while in many places did play the emotive underdog hero, at other times was
\npartner to the predictable Mickey Mouse-esque smart-guy dumb-guy back and forth that
\npredicates roughly every second scene.<\/p>\n

The light-hearted humour did almost act as a statement of \u2018look how far we have come,
\nAmerica.\u2019<\/p>\n

In a way, I must commend the film in its approach to a sensitive subject even today as it
\npresented itself in a way hadn\u2019t before seen, but one can’t help but feel that a director of colour
\nwould have added some insight or nuance to proceedings.<\/p>\n

Did the mix of sorrow and humour work on a whole?<\/p>\n

Not really, which makes it\u2019s dark horse status to win Best Picture at this year\u2019s Oscars that much
\nmore baffling.<\/p>\n

The film also took home the coveted People\u2019s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival last
\nSeptember, which is often seen as a springboard to Oscar success.<\/p>\n

\"Image
The screenwriting team after their win at the Golden Globes<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What film did these people see?<\/p>\n

Overall, Green Book didn\u2019t exactly sit right with me, much like pizza that was eaten like a taco.<\/p>\n

The premise of the film had the potential for brilliance if executed correctly, which sadly I can
\nreport it was not.<\/p>\n

If you are going to see this film in the hopes of witnessing a historical and moving epic tackling
\nAmericas race relations in the 1960\u2019s \u2013 you will be disappointed.<\/p>\n

If you are going to see this film in the hopes of witnessing a light-hearted comedic treat you will
\nalso sadly be disappointed.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a film that takes a half-hearted stab at incorporating the two, then Peter
\nFarrelly\u2019s \u2018Green Book\u2019 is most definitely the film for you.<\/p>\n

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By: Katy Flannery Green Book is a buddy story set in 1960\u2019s America, that follows doctor Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a world-class African-American pianist and his newly appointed comrade Italian-American bouncer turned driver Tony [Lip] Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen). The film plays on the unlikely bi-racial friendship of the duo as they road-trip around the southern […]<\/p>\n

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