My Review of "Green Book"

I have heard of Green Book a while back but I never got the chance to watch it partly because it didn't seem to be an interesting movie. Now I fall into good fortune of having more free time to myself so I noticed that the movie was available for streaming. Why not give it a try and see what all the fuss is all about?

I was a little bit shocked that Peter Farrelly had directed this movie since I'm used to his comedies of the past such as Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary. Then again we have seen what Todd Phillips had done with his career recently with Joker. What's with all of these comedy directors switching to acclaimed dramas? I'm glad they're able to pivot to different genres so well because we wouldn't be able to enjoy these movies if it wasn't for them.

The main character here is this hot headed street smart guy named Tony. He's doing everything to pick up a few dollars here and there for his family and has built a reputation for this. His reputation gets him up to Dr. Shirley. They called him Doc for most of the movie.

Doc is very accomplished musician and would like to tour the south of the United States. The problem is that it's the 1960's and the southern states are extremely racist toward black people. Doc would like some protection while going through the southern states.

Tony himself has grown up to be racist and has racist tendencies but he would do anything to put food on the table for his family. Doc is an honorable man and even asks Tony's wife Dolores if it's okay that he's gone for 2 months. She reluctantly agrees but makes Tony promise to be back by Christmas.

The movie really picks up from there and we see the two bond and learn about each other and about the world that surrounds them. Tony is basically an open book but we see Doc slowly reveal pieces about himself. It's apparent that Tony learns a lot about his country and starts to question his own beliefs.

Gradually the story started to swallow me. They would always dangle a little piece of information in front of me that I became more eager to learn about. I would say it's mostly because Doc seemed like such an interesting enigma. Every layer that they peeled from his story made me want to know more and understand his motivations.

The pacing was wonderful. I never felt like anything was rushed or dragging. The run time is a little over 2 hours but it felt way shorter by the time the movie was finished. It was eventually revealed at the end that this was movie was actually based on a true story making me feel even better about the movie.

It really is a feel good story despite the terrible things that happen to them throughout their journey through the southern states. I guess they really want to tell people that we can be friends with people even when we're polar opposites. You never know a person unless you see through their layers. In contrast to that, sometimes it's okay to open up and share your story. You never know what friendships you may build.

Overall, I felt like such a fool for ignoring this movie for so long. It was a very good movie about friendship and understanding. There are a whole mess of great messages throughout the movie and I think it's a surprisingly family friendly movie despite the language. I have to give this movie an 8 out of 10. It was a great watch and I think I'll be suggesting this movie to many of my friends.