Did Green Book deserve the best film Oscar?

(M) ★★★★

Director: Peter Farrelly.

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini, Dimiter D. Marinov, Mike Hatton, Iqbal Theba.

"And then I said 'Jamaica? No she wanted to go!'."

Firstly, let's address the headline question. The short answer is "no", the longer answer is "no, but it's still a great movie".

Of the other best film nominees at the most recent Oscars, Roma and A Star Is Born are better films, and though I haven't seen BlacKkKlansmen or The Favourite yet, the general consensus seems to be they are also superior.

But that's not to say Green Book is a bad film. It's actually really good - simplistic yes, but thoroughly enjoyable. It has its detractors, and maybe it isn't the best film of 2018, but far worse films could have won (and have in the past).

So should we begrudge it its best film Oscar win? No. Much of the criticism of the film and its big win hinge on the many controversies floating around about how truthful it is and the way it deals with the heavy themes in its story. Almost every film seems to attract controversy these days, rightly or wrongly, but Green Book is a surprisingly enjoyable and sweet story set against a backdrop of prejudice and ugliness.

(The controversy, with its defenders and detractors, is best examined in this excellent Hollywood Reporter article - I'm not going to dig too deep into the controversies here, but I really recommend reading this article if you're wondering what all the fuss is about.)

But can we set the controversies aside for a minute and look at whether the film itself is actually any good under the usual criteria of criticism?

It's the story of Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Mortensen), an Italian-American nightclub bouncer who is hired by African-American pianist Don Shirley to be his bodyguard and driver on a tour of the Deep South in the 1960s. Tony is a brutish racist, and Don is an elitist trying to fight the good fight, and their journey through the most prejudiced parts of the US in a difficult time will test them both.

It's weird but there's nothing especially groundbreaking or provocative about Green Book. It's been described more than once as a race-flipped rehash of Driving Miss Daisy, which isn't totally inaccurate, and the film's themes have been dealt with a hundred times in more dynamic ways. But the central relationship between the two leads is nicely nuanced, and while it might be a somewhat simplistic tale of overcoming prejudice, it's a good one. Both characters learn from each other in interesting ways, and the script has fun with their arcs. The accusation of the Magical Negro trope is a lazy criticism and doesn't give the script enough credit - this is two people progressing and growing, like most good characters should.

None of it would work if their was no spark between the leads. Thankfully, Ali (a worthy Oscar winner) and Mortensen have great chemistry and fully inhabit their roles, which definitely elevates the film above its simplistic notions of "don't be racist" and "don't be classist".

As well as faking a good piano, Ali carries himself perfectly in every second of the film, whether he be eating, speaking, sitting at a piano, walking into a room, or whatever - it's a complete performance. And Mortensen is just as good. From the New Jersey/Little Italy accent through to Tony Lip's formidable physical presence, Mortensen totally nails this (as he does with every role he plays). But he also brings a lightness to the performance which sits perfectly in the tone of the film.

It's that tone that has perhaps rubbed some the wrong way. Green Book has its heavy moments, but it skims like a rock across a dark pond a lot of the time. It's what makes the film so unexpectedly funny, and feelgood, despite its inherent grimness. This is also part of what makes it so strong. It's got light and shade, which appears to be a nice reflection of the real life relationship between Shirley and Vallelonga (it's hard to imagine the relationship working any other way to be honest - there has to have been moments of levity amid the darkness of their travels together).

It's the script and performances that really make Green Book work. Farrelly's direction is unobtrusive but his background in comedy pays off. And the screenplay (which won an Oscar) is compact and colourful. It never feels tired or like it's stretching to make a point.

Green Book will probably get a reputation as an unworthy best film Oscar winner, which won't tell the whole story. It may not have been the best film of 2018, but it's a worthy nominee and still well worth your time.