Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: a human adventure in segregationist America.
Known for his schoolboy comedies, co-directed with his brother in the 1990s and 2000s (Dumb and Dumber, Mary à tout prix, Fous d’Irene), Peter Farrelly is embarking on his very first solo feature film, in a moreover, in 2018.
His meeting with screenwriters Brian Currie and Nick Vallelonga is decisive. Indeed, the latter is none other than the eldest son of Tony Lip, an Italian-American bouncer from the Bronx, who befriended Dr. Don Shirley, a world-renowned black pianist, of whom he was the driver during a concert tour in the middle of segregationist America.
Seduced by this story, Peter Farrelly decides to bring it to the big screen in Green Book: On the roads of the South – a title which refers to the travel guide “The Negro Motorist Green Book“, which listed establishments accepting African Americans between 1936 and 1966.
He thus signs an incredible human adventure sublimated by the performances of the two main actors. The director’s first choice to play Tony Lip, actor Viggo Mortensen has fully invested himself in his role, notably taking on twenty kilos.
Facing him, Mahershala Ali, rising star of independent American cinema since his revelation in Moonlight, confirms his talent here, winning a second statuette for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Oscars ceremony.
Crowned with the Oscar for Best Picture, Green Book: On the roads of the south is, moreover, one of the favorite films of AlloCiné spectators, with an average rating of 4.5/5.
Find our AlloCiné ranking of the best films of all time.
Green Book: On the roads of the south by Peter Farrelly with Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini…
Tonight on France 3 at 9:10 p.m.