Green Book (2018)
- Peter Farrelly originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Peter Farrelly's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
Green Book is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Farrelly, inspired by the true story of the friendship between Dr. Don Shirley, a virtuoso classical and jazz pianist played by Mahershala Ali, and Tony Vallelonga, a tough Italian-American bouncer from the Bronx played by Viggo Mortensen, who is hired as Shirley's driver and bodyguard for a concert tour through the Deep South in 1962. The title refers to "The Negro Motorist Green Book," a real travel guide published from 1936 to 1967 that listed hotels, restaurants, and gas stations where African Americans could be served safely during the era of racial segregation.
As the refined, cultured Shirley and the rough-edged, prejudiced Tony travel deeper into the Jim Crow South, each man challenges the other's assumptions and worldview, forging an unlikely friendship that transforms them both. Mahershala Ali won his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, following his win for Moonlight, becoming the first Black actor to win the award twice. Viggo Mortensen gained 45 pounds for the role and adopted a convincing Bronx Italian-American accent and physicality.
Green Book won the Academy Award for Best Picture, though the film generated significant controversy โ some critics called it a simplistic, feel-good narrative that centered a white character's racial awakening over the Black character's experience, and Don Shirley's family disputed the film's accuracy. Despite the debate, the film earned $321 million worldwide on a $23 million budget.
