Green Book - 4 smiles

"Green Book," a lighthearted drama about a road trip by two men, one black, one white, has an unflinchingly optimistic tone (not a bad thing in today's divisive political climate). The movie, set in 1962, is based on the true story of two New Yorkers. Tony Lip (viggo Mortensen) is a jovial bouncer at the old Copacabana, where he's famed for his ability to squash fights. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a black pianist, new Lip's reputation and asked him to leave his wife (Linda Cardellini) and kids behind to be his driver on a two-month-long tour of the Deep South. Lip is fine behind the wheel, but what's more useful to his passenger is his talent for ending conflicts with his fists. Even for an accomplished entertainer, cities such as Birmingham, AL and Macon, GA, were perilous during the Jim crow era of the early 60s. The book in this title is The Negro Motorist Green-Book, which helped black travelers find hospitable accommodations. The forced closeness between Lip and Shirley results in changed perspectives and a developing respect.

To be sure, Shirley was unusual for his time. It was rare for a black man to live in a palatial apartment above Carnegie Hall. His friends called him 'Dr. Shirley because he had received two honorary degrees. And the excellent Ali plays Shirley with a stiff spine and courteous chill. Not so posh was Lip, a gregarious, funny Italian-American from The Bronx who scraped by to feed his family. The screenplay, written by Lip's son, Nick Vallelonga, with Brian Hayes Currie and director Peter Farrelly, doesn't shy away from Lip's lack of book smarts or his casual racism. Mortensen is almost unrecognizable in the role. To become the physically imposing Lip, a big eater, the normally slim actor acquired some middle girth and a solid Bronx accent. Both characters endure everyday moments of aggression and oppression. Although "Green Book" might be accused of being too sentimental (and not harsh enough), the chemistry between Mortensen and Ali takes the movie to the next level. This is one movie not to be missed.