Green Book

If American Beauty offered a sophisticated, often subtle and graceful critique of the American middle class, Green Book, in a similarly bittersweet vein, presents the issues of racism in 1960s America, unassumingly, without relying on pathos, witty and with just enough insight. Viggo Mortensen dominates with his De Niro accent and redneck diction, Ali got the Oscar because he's black. For a film that is mostly about the interaction of two characters, it is brisk, fresh and entertaining. (03/03/2019)

An easygoing road-movie with strong characters (Mortensen steals the show), a convincing period atmosphere, and dialogues that don’t hurt, at least to watch once. But the “conflict” that the film offers is so unoriginal and fake that it buries the quality of the whole lot. The development of Tony’s racist views are almost invisible and the script is basically a series of stops at moral clichés and shoddy motifs (the cop on the road, the “white” restaurant). There was potential and I can praise Farrelly for the fact that I rooted for protagonists, but that’s not enough to make an above-par social drama. 60% (25/01/2019)

The incredibly simple, flat story, is saved from my sheer hatred (which I felt for the idiotic racial jumble The Help) by humor, and by the fact that it’s so stupid and stupider that there is no way it will offend you. The themes of tolerance and self-acceptance do not make much sense. The film, like a forged midcult, avoids everything that is even slightly problematic (or looks at it helplessly as a doctor looking at working nurses), and it always finds a way to get away from it. If I wanted to play at being Žižek, I would see an extraordinary tragedy about how two people help to create a fake version of themselves (supposedly better, yet totally a lie for the person watching). Farrelly's directing is about as progressive as the filter his cameraman uses, but one thing that he has is almost ingenious - the cast. The two idiots are so nice and relaxed that it's hard not to enjoy it for a while. They can convince most people that this film is not as hollow as it seems. Burn after reading. (06/03/2019)

This is a pleasant Christmas fairy tale. This type of drama-comedy, where two people from different walks of life are forced to learn from each other and rethink their attitudes, is probably always a sure-fire hit. It seems quite superficial and there is no real drama in the whole movie, however, it is still an all-around positive and relaxing movie with the great Viggo Mortensen, whose third Oscar nomination I would like to finally change into an actual award. (07/02/2019)

"Driving Mr. Mahershala"? Too bad that Viggo had to fight Rami Malek for the Oscar, as the jury couldn’t give it to anyone else but Rami. Here, Viggo put on a remarkable performance, just like in Eastern Promises. Mahershala is also great. The movie itself, however, is a dime-a-dozen Hollywood template, with a good heart and gorgeous narrative but without a hint of filmmaking inventiveness. (06/03/2019)