It was late and I gave in to a “fuck it” impulse. It had been several years since I actually sat down with Green Book, and I thought I’d just, you know, briefly sample — just to see if this or that scene or section still holds up. Certainly with no intention of going the distance. I must have watched Peter Farrelly’s film five or six times in late 2018 and early ‘19.
But it hooked me within seconds — the assured Kennedy-era vibe, ultra-concise editing, spot-on character brushstrokes, perfect performances, the bounce of it all. And I happily settled in for the duration. I’d honestly forgotten some of the laugh lines, emotional hits, subtle pings. It ended around 1:40 am, and I felt fully taken care of (placated?) as I walked upstairs.
Allow me to once again convey my deepest loathing for the proverbial mob…all of those fascinating canker growths who, seven and a half years ago, relentlessly pissed on this admittedly mild but exceptionally well-made moral fable.
I’m told that the New York and Los Angeles chapters of the National Alliance of Politically Correct Scolds and Admonishers (NAPCSA) will be meeting in emergency session later today to discuss how to respond to the National Board of Review having given its Best Film of 2018 prize to Peter Farrelly’s Green Book.
Worse in their view, the NBR has given its Best Actor trophy to Viggo Mortensen, whose chances of winning any acting awards had been dismissed by NAPSCA reps after he mistakenly used a verboten term in a post-screening discussion.
In a joint statement, NAPSCA co-chairs Brooke Obie and Inkoo Kang have said that “the NBR is obviously entitled to hand out its top awards to any film or filmmaker or performer it chooses…we wouldn’t want to inject ourselves into any private voting dynamic.
“However, we would be derelict in our duties as moral and ethical arbiters if we didn’t express disappointment that they chose to honor Green Book, which, as we’ve patiently explained, fails to reflect the current politically correct values and conversations that we would prefer to see in commercial cinemas these days.
“Peter Farrelly‘s decision to craft an admittedly well-honed, racially-stamped, deftly humanist road saga, not by way of a 2018 instructional scold manual but according to the unfortunate cultural norms of 1962 (“yes, life for POCs could be cruel and ugly back then but not altogether due to a random capacity for moral growth…yes, even among under-educated Italian streetcorner goombah types”)…Farrelly’s approach obviously goes against the grain of current progressive thought, and we strongly disagree with this.
“Moreover, we and our woke brethren will be doing everything we can to trash and belittle Green Book between now and the 2.24.19Oscarnighttelecast. We will certainly be meeting later today to discuss measures that will hopefully nip such odious celebrations in the bud.”
The other NBR awards: Best Director — Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born, Best Actress — Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born, Best Supporting Actor — Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born, Best Supporting Actress — Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk, Best Original Screenplay — Paul Schrader, First Reformed (yes!) Best Adapted Screenplay — Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk (really?) Best Animated Feature: Incredibles 2 (give me a break!) Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade, Best Foreign Language Film: Cold War Best Documentary: RBG.