“Green Book” is a slow but rather endearing film. It won awards but then attracted controversy. I went into it with mixed expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the witty script and the great characters that the movie offers.

Set in the early 1960s, “Green Book” presents us with Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen “Eastern Promises”, “The Road”), an Italian-American bouncer with a large appetite. When the club that he works at is closed for renovations, he struggles to find work and becomes the driver of African-American classical pianist Dr. Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali “The Place Beyond The Pines”). Tony has to drive Shirley across the southern states for musical tour at a time when racial prejudice is still high.

I’m not normally a fan of Viggo Mortensen but I think he does a really good job as Tony Lip. I also like Mahershala Ali as Dr. Shirley. It’s interesting watching the two form an unlikely friendship because they are so different. They not only look different but there is a chasm between them in terms of intelligence and manners. There are other characters in the movie such as Dolores (Linda Cardellini “Scooby-Doo”), who is Tony’s wife, but the focus really is on the two men.

Parts of “Green Book” are very, very funny, parts of it are moving and almost all of it is interesting. It’s wonderful to see a movie that does not require flashy effects or a lot of kinetic energy to sustain your interest. I’m not quite sure if “Green Book” deserved all the awards it got but it certainly did not warrant the backlash it later received. I found the performances to be enjoyable and the dialog is splendid. If you want a drama with a lot of heart then I think that “Green Book” is a terrific choice.