Green Book (film)

This article is about 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film. For the guidebook for African American roadtrips, see The Negro Motorist Green Book.

Green Book
A white man at the wheel of an aqua blue car, his elbow resting on the door. An African American sits in the back seat, arms outstretched.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Farrelly
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySean Porter
Edited byPatrick J. Don Vito
Music byKris Bowers
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures[1]
Release dates
  • September 11, 2018 (2018-09-11) (TIFF)
  • November 16, 2018 (2018-11-16) (United States)
Running time
130 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$23 million[3]
Box office$321.8 million[4]

Green Book is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Farrelly. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, the film is inspired by the true story of a 1962 tour of the Deep South by African American pianist Don Shirley and Italian American bouncer and later actor Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga, who served as Shirley's driver and bodyguard. Written by Farrelly alongside Lip's son Nick Vallelonga and Brian Hayes Currie, the film is based on interviews with Lip and Shirley, as well as letters Lip wrote to his wife.[5] It is named after The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide book for African American travelers founded by Victor Hugo Green in 1936 and published until 1966.

Green Book had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2018, where it won the People's Choice Award. It was then theatrically released in the United States on November 16, 2018, by Universal Pictures, and grossed $321 million worldwide. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of Mortensen and Ali, although it also drew some criticism for its depiction of both race and Shirley.

Green Book received many awards and nominations. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (for Ali). It also won the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture, the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and the National Board of Review award for the best film of 2018, and was chosen as one of the top 10 films of the year by the American Film Institute. Ali also won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and BAFTA Awards for Best Supporting Actor.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c d e Debruge, Peter (September 11, 2018). "Film Review: 'Green Book'". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. ^ He, Laura (February 25, 2019). "Alibaba Pictures shares rise after striking gold with Green Book's best picture win at the Oscars". South China Morning Post. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  3. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (November 13, 2018). "Making of 'Green Book': A Farrelly Brother Drops the Grossout Jokes for a Dramatic Road Trip in the 1960s Deep South". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  4. ^ "Green Book (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Diamond, Anna (December 2018). "The True Story of the 'Green Book' Movie". Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  6. ^ "Mahershala Ali wins Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for 'Green Book'". EW.com. January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  7. ^ "Mahershala Ali Wins First Golden Globe for 'Green Book'". The Hollywood Reporter. January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.