Green Book reviews: What do critics say about Green Book?

The story of Green Book reads: “Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South. “The two must rely on The Green Book to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans. Confronted with racism, danger-as well as unexpected humanity and humour, they are forced to set aside differences to survive and thrive on the journey of a lifetime.”

What do critics say about Green Book?

The Green Book has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 82 per cent, indicating wholly positive reviews.

The film, based on a true story, has already won three Golden Globes and has been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

But the movie has also been mired in controversy, and many movie-goers have criticised it for elements of white saviourism.

Despite these critiques, Green Book has a 94 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

BIRD BOX REVIEWS: WHAT DO CRITICS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT BIRD BOX?

Green Book

Green Book: The movie has had a positive response from critics (Image: UP)

Here’s what critics have to say:

Christopher Orr for The Atlantic:

First-rate execution can’t solve all of a film’s problems, but Mortensen and Ali offer a reminder that it can solve an awful lot of them.

Joshua Rothkopf for Time Out:

Call this actors’ duet sentimental and simplistic at your own peril. Green Book may well move you, possibly to tears, at the thought of real social change and kindness (at a time when we need it badly).

Mark Jenkins for NPR:

A well-meaning but glib and shallow ode to interracial healing.

David Edelstein for New York Magazine/Vulture:

The acting is better than the dialogue, which is better than the plotting. And I have to confess that in the current, insanely divisive political climate, I enjoyed Green Book’s spoon-feeding mightily.

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Richard Brody for New Yorker:

Humour… keeps the movie floating, weightlessly, above the appalling bedrock of its ponderous assumptions.

Johnny Oleksinski for the New York Post:

The tone leans sentimental, if not quite sugary. But the actors’ honest chemistry takes Farrelly’s movie to the next level. This small tale of American goodness deserves your full attention.

Leah Greenblatt for Entertainment Weekly:

In a world that seems to get uglier every day, this movie’s gentle heart and mere humanity feel like a salve.

Rex Reed for the Observer:

Witty and warm as cashmere, Green Book is a two-hander in which both stars soar with humour and heart.

SECOND ACT REVIEWS: WHAT ARE CRITICS SAYING ABOUT THE ROM-COM?

Green Book

Green Book: Viggo Mortensen (L) and Mahershala Ali (R) play the real life Lip and Dr Don Shirley (Image: UP)

Mara Reinstein for Us Weekly:

Tony and “Doc” don’t just learn from each other; this is heroic two-hander in which they both save each other too.

A.A. Dowd for AV Club:

Intentionally or not, it flatters the delusion that racism, in its ugliest form, is more of a past-tense problem.

Joe Morgenstern for the Wall Street Journal:

A fine setup for two strong-willed characters to have at each other… Yet Green Book wears thin, and how could it not, since it’s basically an illustrative construction in which each scene has a predictable shape and a clear-cut purpose.

Green Book

Green Book: The film is heading into awards season in a strong position (Image: UP)

Brian Lowry for CNN.com:

It’s easy to wish “Green Book” itself wasn’t quite so ham-fisted at times, or on-the-nose with its dialogue. But… the movie possesses hard-to-resist warmth in its underlying theme and welcome humour in the mismatched buddy dynamic.

Christy Lemire for RogerEbert.com:

It’s glossy and zippy, gliding along the surface of deeply emotional, complex issues while dipping down into them just enough to give us a taste of some actual substance.

Ann Hornaday for the Washington Post:

“Green Book” fires on all cylinders, creating the kind of satisfying mainstream moviegoing experience that many observers thought Hollywood had forgotten how to make.

Green Book is out in cinemas on February 1, 2019.

source: express.co.uk