By Grace Langella

“Green Book” takes on racism behind the wheel of an American classic, a 1962 Chevrolet.  However, while the storyline may be predictable as the car, the careful direction and proficient acting take this tale of friendship beyond boundaries to the next level.

The story is simple: Tony Vallelonga, portrayed by Viggo Mortenson, is an Italian guy, raised in the Bronx. He’s hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), a talented African American pianist, on his tour, which dips into some of the most racist cities in the South. Tony, who shows major signs of prejudice himself, is transformed in his eight weeks on the road – becoming a gentler version of the tough “bullshitter” that he claims to be. However, from this transformation, a friendship is born between himself and Don, whose piano talents have elevated him to become a sophisticated recluse, unable to let people into his life due to his inability to belong in either circle he is often forced into.

After weeks on the road together, Tony’s racist ways are transformed. The same man who once threw away cups that black maintenance men used in his home is now seen defending Don, punching racist workers in restaurants and refusing to let him go anywhere alone. Some might see this as his own selfish ambition (if Don misses a show, Tony doesn’t get paid) but his heart changes as he allows himself to take on the role of Don’s friend and, if not more important, his employee.

Different from other race-related movies, such as The Help, Green Book’s white character is a bit of an outcast himself, especially in the South. Although not comparable to what Don faces, his Italian blood and personality make him a social pariah, excluding him from the society he’s supposed to belong to. Just as Don’s exclusion gave Tony a chance to change, Tony’s position changes Don as well. While first he tries to train Tony to fit in with the elite, he later learns to accept Tony for who he is. This transformation allows Don to shift his perspective not only on Tony, but also on what it means to be a friend.

Green Book’s directing is what brings it to the level of Academy Awards, for which it is nominated for five. Peter Farrelly’s artistry, such as a scene where the car breaks down in front of a field of black sharecroppers and they see a white man driving a black man in a suit, carries along themes of hope, possibility and change. The consistent image of Tony opening the car door and getting Don’s luggage doesn’t belittle Tony, but instead makes a statement of equality through small movements, rather than words.

Farrelly’s comedic background doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated either. With a history of directing comedies such as Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary, his expertise in humor is spread in spurts through the film, with Tony forcing uppity Don to try fried chicken and Don rewriting Tony’s chicken scratch, grammatically treacherous letters to his darling wife Dolores. The laughs are a welcome relief from the important but emotionally exhausting topic the movie addresses, giving the audience a chance to chuckle and giving the actors a chance to portray their characters’ friendship in a more genuine way.

I’m half Italian and I was raised in the Deep South. In many of the scenes where Tony’s family gathered, either to watch a Yankees game or eat fish on Christmas Eve, I found myself comparing Tony’s family to my own extended family, who are back in the Tri-state area. My own father was mocked in his business school interview at Duke University because of his foreign last name. That was in 1989 (he yelled at the guy and somehow got in, similar to our main man Tony.) Moving to the South was an adjustment for my father then, and that was almost 30 years after this film takes place. While I cannot place myself in Don’s shoes, I can place myself in Tony’s family.

This film, although predictable at times, shows an unconventional friendship that goes beyond the boundaries of race and the Mason-Dixon Line. Green Book, with its proficient acting and directing, reminds audiences that through trials, there is change on the horizon.