Green Book (2018)

Green Book is a 1960s road-trip drama with a warm, occasionally raucous center. Set in 1962, it follows working-class Italian‑American bouncer Tony “Tony Lip” Vallelonga when he’s hired to drive and protect Dr. Don Shirley, an elegant and fiercely private African‑American classical pianist, on an eight‑week concert tour through the segregated American South. The journey is guided by the Negro Motorist Green Book — a practical reminder of the constant dangers and humiliations Shirley faces offstage. Onscreen you’ll get a blend of broad, often funny cultural clashes and quieter, emotionally charged scenes: Tony’s blunt streetwise humor and Don’s refined reserve collide, provoke, and eventually soften into mutual respect and friendship. The film alternates moments of laughter and camaraderie with uncomfortable, sometimes tense depictions of racism and violence, so expect both levity and heartbreak. Music — especially Shirley’s piano performances — anchors many of the film’s most moving sequences and underscores the contrast between public acclaim and private vulnerability. If you watch Green Book you’ll experience a character-driven story that uses a road-movie structure to explore race, class and identity. It’s an intimate, accessible film that leans on the chemistry between its leads, delivering feel‑good warmth alongside sober reminders of historical injustice. Fans of humanistic dramas and buddy journeys will find it engaging; viewers should be prepared for scenes that are uplifting and others that are uncomfortably honest about America’s past.

Actors: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini

Director: Peter Farrelly

Runtime: 130 min

Genres: Biography, Comedy, Drama

7.6 /10 69 /100 8.2 /10 7.6 /10