Premiered at the Toronto Film Festival September 11,2018
Plot(Spoiler Alert)
1962, an Italian American, Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, is hired to be the driver for an African American musician, Dr. Don Shirley, while he is on tour for two months in the South.
Blaine: Frank Vallelonga’s son, Nick, would listen to Frank, and Don Shirley’s stories about them being on the road all the time growing up. Nick loved those stories so much that he felt it should be made into a movie. He asked them both if it was alright. Don Shirley’s answer was to wait till he was dead, so Nick had to wait a while. Nick and his friend of 30 years, Brian Hayes Currie, wanted to do a project together, and Nick suggested Frank, and Don’s story. Brian thought that would be great. Both Frank Vallelonga and Don Shirley’s time came in the year 2013, and so Nick and Brian were allowed to work on a screenplay based on their story.
Pete Farrelly is best known for doing nothing, but making silly comedies, like “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary”, through his career as a filmmaker. Every movie Pete has made he wrote with his brother, Bobby Farrelly, and they always had a good time. But things changed after Bobby lost his son to a drug overdose in 2015. Bobby stepped away from the movie business for a while, and Pete was on his own.
Pete had known Brian Hayes Currie since ’93, and Brian told Pete about the “Green Book” project both him, and Nick Vallelonga were working on. Pete thought it sounded terrific. He got hooked to the story because it was about two men who were opposites, but became friends for 50 years. Pete was desperate to see the screenplay, but the thing was Nick, and Brian hadn’t gotten started on it yet. Pete wanted to collaborate with Brian and Nick on writing the screenplay, and after that the screenplay was finally in works.
Nick was in charge of making sure a lot of stuff in the script sounded true because he knew Frank and Don best, and he had their stories memorized in his head after listening to them thousands of times. Don Shirley even told Nick to add every detail into the story when he gave him permission to make a movie about him and Frank. Pete had a lot of humorous ideas to add to the story because he’s a funny guy. “Green Book” was going to be both a drama, and a comedy, and Pete had never done anything dramatic before in his career. Pete had been asked if he was ever going to direct a drama, and he just wanted to wait for the right project to come his way. Pete could not have asked for a better project to work on than “Green Book”.
A lot of directors are open minded to whatever suggestions their actors or their crew have for a movie while working on it, and Pete Farrelly told his whole crew that if they had any suggestions they should let him know, and they could try it out. When Pete directed his first movie, “Dumb and Dumber”, he had no experience in directing anything, but the crew knew a lot about making movies more than he did, and they were of big help to him. “Green Book” was Pete’s biggest project, and he wanted this movie to be perfect. The crew had to think like an audience in the theater.
Viggo Mortensen thought the script for “Green Book” was so well written, and he was moved by the relationship between Frank, and Don. Viggo knew “Green Book” would be a terrific movie, but he was afraid to play an Italian American. He thought there was other actors out there who were Italian American that would be better for the part of Frank Vallelonga. Viggo was the only actor Pete wanted to play Frank. Pete knows actors will try out different things, and have to face a few challenges. Viggo realized Pete was right, and he also thought it would be stupid to pass on a movie with a script he enjoyed reading several times.
Viggo had a lot of support in doing this job, but he also felt pressure for when he met Frank Vallelonga’s family. Viggo had to make sure he got his performance right. Frank’s family would tell Viggo about his personality, the way he talked, and when they saw Viggo eating they knew he was perfect as Frank. Frank’s habits were smoking, and eating, and Viggo had to put on weight for this role. One of things Viggo ate while putting on the weight was four pizzas. In the movie, Frank takes a whole pizza, folds it and takes a big bite out of it. Viggo was very glad that he did “Green Book”.
Mahershala Ali has trouble reading scripts, but the script for “Green Book” was the first to make him laugh. Brian, Nick and Pete were able to find a documentary on Don Shirley for Mahershala to watch so he could study this person. Mahershala knew what type of person Don Shirley was after watching 10 minutes of footage from that documentary. He also payed close attention to Don’s movements and the way he talked. Mahershala also listened to some recordings of Frank talking about Don, and their relationship. Mahershala took lessons on how to play the piano from a guy named Chris Bowers. Chris was so helpful and taught Mahershala how to use his fingers on the keyboard. Mahershala thought Chris was an amazing guy.
Frank and Don didn’t have much to do during the drive except talk. They got to know each other more while they were on tour. Don Shirley was mature, a neat freak, serious, and brave to be doing shows in the South when all the white folk were rude to him. Don would challenge Frank with questions about himself, like if he could handle not seeing his family for two months while driving him around. Don would also keep some things to himself because they were very personal. Don may have been a homosexual because during one scene Frank goes to see what kind of trouble Don has gotten himself into at the YMCA, and he is informed the owner caught him with another man. Don was always in trouble with these racist bastards, and Frank was there to the rescue. Frank wasn’t just the driver, he was a body guard too because he was a mean punch. Another thing about Don was he didn’t have any family. He had a brother, but they haven’t spoken in years.
Frank is a chatterbox, and said whatever was on his mind. His last name, Vallelonga, was hard to pronounce for a lot of people. I guess that is why he had the nickname “Tony Lip”. Frank thought Don’s music was really something as he listened to him play. It was making him a better man because before he met Don, Frank had some problems with black people.
Frank’s wife, Dolores, is known as the heart of “Green Book”. Don Shirley talked to Dolores through the phone asking if she was alright not seeing Frank for a couple of months. I think the reason Dolores was ok with Frank being gone for two months was because she thought this would be good for him to spend time with a black man. She was aware of his condition with black folk. Frank becomes a changed man, and it’s all thanks to spending time with Don. Dolores is happy because of that.
Don has his way with words, and he helped Frank write romantic letters to Dolores. Linda Cardellini was going to play Dolores, and the Vallelonga family was nice enough to talk to her too. They described Dolores as a wonderful woman and Linda thought it was beautiful that Frank and Dolores were always in love with each other. Linda even got to look at those romanctic letters Frank wrote to Dolores. It made Linda feel like she was going back in time.
The last show Don was supposed to do, before the two months were up, was going to be at Birmingham, Alabama, but the owners of the place wouldn’t let him eat at their dining establishment. Frank almost went ugly on the owner, but Don stopped him, and decided to just leave the place without giving a shit on what anyone thinks. The show does go on. Don plays at a jazz club, and unlike the restaurant, the club is very welcoming.
Spoilers!!!….Frank makes it back home just in time for Christmas. You would think Don Shirley would join his family for their Christmas dinner because Don doesn’t have any family, and you can’t spend Christmas alone. But Don decides to go back to his place instead. A few minutes later, someone knocks on Frank’s door, and I assumed it was Don, but no it’s just some friends of Frank's. Then as Frank is about to close the door, Don shows up out of no where just standing in front of that door. I felt joy seeing him there. Pete, Nick and Brian did a good job in writing that ending because it was unsure if Don Shirley was going to be there for dinner or not. Don gets welcomed into the Vallelonga family. That was the perfect way to end the film.
Nick Vallelonga always dreamed that Frank and Don’s story would be made into a movie. It turned out better than he imagined, and he is thankful to Pete Farrelly for doing a wonderful job on “Green Book”. Viggo Mortensen wants the whole world to see “Green Book” and he said it’s a movie that will be re-watchable for years to come.
My rating on “Green Book” is five out of five stars
