History Film / GreenBook

* MacGuffinTitle: The title's "Green Book" refers to a real publication that was made for African-Americans to travel with, listing establishments where they would be safe from prejudice. One such edition of the Green Book is seen in the movie.

When he's forced to seek temporary employment for the winter, New York City bouncer Tony "Tony Lip" Vallelonga (Creator/ViggoMortensen) lands an interview with famed concert pianist Donald "Don" Shirley (Creator/MahershalaAli), who is seeking a personal valet for an eight-week tour — one predominantly visiting the DeepSouth.

* TheWhitestBlackGuy: Don, despite wanting to break barriers with his tour, finds himself disconnected from other black people and the hardships they face in the South. As a result, he remains distant from the other tenants of most the hotels he stays in and regularly puts himself into dangerous situations by assuming access to whites-only establishments. This lead to Shirley's living family decrying the film as a "symphony of lies".

''Green Book'' is a 2018 {{historical|fiction}} {{dramedy}} directed by Peter Farrelly (''Film/DumbAndDumber'').

When he's forced to seek temporary employment for the winter, New York City bouncer Tony “Tony Lip” Vallelonga (Creator/ViggoMortensen) lands an interview with famed concert pianist Don Shirley (Creator/MahershalaAli), who is seeking a personal valet for an eight-week tour — one predominantly visiting the DeepSouth.

The film won the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Picture in 2019.

The film won the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award|s}} for Best Picture in 2019.

* GenreSavvy:
** [[spoiler:Don knew Tony didn't return the jade stone.]]
** [[spoiler:Tony figures out there'll be people waiting for a chance to rob Don.]]
** [[spoiler:Dolores figured out Don helped with Tony's letters.]]

* DawsonCasting: Tony Lip was in his 30s during the events depicted - Viggo Mortensen was 60 during filming.

** BasedOnAGreatBigLie: Shirley's family has argued that the movie greatly exaggerated the relationship between Shirley and Tony Lip and that Shirley considered Tony merely to be an employee and not a friend. However, some of Shirley's friends have said that the two were indeed friends, so it is unclear how much is fabricated and how much isn't.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: [[spoiler: The above mentioned scene where Don is nearly arrested. It happens suddenly, contributes very little to the overall plot, and is never referenced again.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Tony is this to a T. He's boorish, foul-mouthed, crude, uncultured, casually racist and not above theft or violence, but he's also a genuinely loving family man who eventually warms up to Don and lets go of his prejudice.

* SmarterThanYouLook: Tony is every bit the coarse, uncultured, working-class boor that he appears to be... and also shows himself to be uncannily talented in talking and manipulating his way out of dangerous situations and generally getting people to do what he wants.
* StylisticSuck: Tony's letters to his wife before Don coaches him. He's obviously trying to be heartfelt, but they are filled with platitudes and his handle on things like spelling and proper language is unsure, to say the least.

** BasedOnAGreatBigLie: Shirley's family has argued that the movie greatly exaggerated the relationship between Shirley and Tony Lip [[note]]: notably, the screenplay was co-written by Tony Lip's son and neither he nor director Peter Farrelly bothered to seek out any of Shirley's relatives for input or verification of the story[[/note]] and that Shirley considered Tony merely to be an employee and not a friend. However, some of Shirley's friends have said that the two were indeed friends, so it is unclear how much is fabricated and how much isn't.

* TheAlcoholic: Don is a heavy drinker and requests an entire bottle of Cutty Sark in his tour rider.

* BigEater: Tony.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Frank and Don are both examples of this

* [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade Historical Jerkass Upgrade]]: As noted below, Don Shirley is depicted as being distant from other black people and oblivious to their struggles, while his living family insists that he was good friends with them and other prominent black musicians.

** [[spoiler:When offered a bribe to convince Don to conform to the fact he's not allowed to dine at the restaurant his music trio is about to sing, he refuses.]]
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: When Don and Tony are arrested, they're released because the former is friends with Robby Kennedy.

* YouAreACreditToYourRace: Don receives much of this sentiment from his white audiences and bookers.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: When Don and Tony are arrested, they're released because the former is friends with Robby Kennedy.

* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: Tony frequently talks with his family and compatriots in Italian to talk about other people behind their backs.

* TheAlcoholic: Don is a heavy drinker and requests an entire bottle of a particular liquor in his tour rider.

** BasedOnAGreatBigLie: Shirley's family has argued that the movie greatly exaggerated the relationship between Shirley and Tony Lip [[note]]: notably, the screenplay was co-written by Tony Lip's son and neither he nor director Peter Farrelly bothered to seek out any of Shirley's relatives for input or verification of the story[[/note]] and that Shirley considered Tony merely to be an employee and not a friend.

** BasedOnAGreatBigLie: Shirley's family has argued that the movie greatly exaggerated the relationship between Shirley and Tony Lip [[note]]: notably, the screenplay was co-written by Tony Lip's son and neither he nor director Peter Farrelly bothered to seek out any of Shirley's relatives for input or verification of the story[[/note]] and that Shirley considered him merely to be an employer and not a friend.

* BiTheWay: [[spoiler: Don was married once and seems to regret his marriage fell apart but he is also queer, leading to a scene where he was nearly arrested due to having a public rendezvous with another man.]]
* BigEater: Tony

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: According to Shirley's brother and nephew, the film depicts Don very inaccurately, and highly exaggerates the supposed friendship between him and Vallelonga.

* TheWhitestBlackGuy: Don, despite wanting to break barriers with his tour, finds himself disconnected from other black people and the hardships they face in the South. As a result, he remains distant from the other tenants of most the hotels he stays in and regularly puts himself into dangerous situations by assuming access to whites-only establishments.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero:
** Tony isn't the most enlightened white man when we meet him. He dismisses and stereotypes other racial groups, throws out his ''own'' glasses in apparent disgust after they are used by black men, and regularly disrespects Don to his face in a manner he does not to his other employers. Him learning to be more respectful and accepting comprises his character arc, and his attitudes are notably different when he returns home.
*** Tony actually subverts this expectation when Don [[spoiler: is caught cavorting with another man. Tony handles the situation gracefully and tells him that he's "been working in New York City clubs for years", implying that he's much more accepting of homosexuality than might be expected from a straight man from his time.]]

In addition to driving Don from gig to gig and generally assisting him, he's also responsible for keeping Don safe from those who won't be so welcoming to his kind. Over the course of the trip, Tony and Don form an unlikely bond that'll affect both their lives for good. Creator/LindaCardellini also stars as Tony's wife Dolores.

* TheAlcoholic: Don is a heavy drinker, and requests an entire bottle of a particular liquor in his tour rider.

* ButNotTooGay: [[spoiler: Don's attraction to men is never explored beyond him being caught naked with one at a pool]].
* CategoryTraitor: Tony is ''shocked'' when Don admits not knowing much music by African-American singers, or that he's never tried fried chicken.

* DeepSouth: Much of the film is set in the Deep South during the 1960s, where something like the titular Green Book was a necessity for African-Americans to get around.

* OscarBait: Ticks all the boxes, it's a historical fiction film about a marginalized person overcoming categorization and his friendship with a white man.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Tony isn't the most enlightened white man when we meet him.
** Except for the scene when Don [[spoiler: is caught cavorting with another man. Tony tells him that he's "been working in New York City clubs for years", implying that this isn't the first time he's seen something like that.]]

* TheWhitestBlackGuy: Don, despite wanting to break barriers, is quite is disconnected from other black people and the hardships they face in the South (such as not being completely aware of just how much the racism in the South runs).

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: The film generally presents an image of how the Deep South actually was in the 1960s, [[{{Bowdlerise}} with some edges filed off]].