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At times, movies can be approached in a way to bring forth intense discussions; but the case of race in films is one that is very intricate. Examining the legacy of race and its relation to film demands an approach that takes into account everything, so one does not find themselves in deeper waters trying to get to the bottom of why Racism exists within cinema history. Having viewed Crash, it is quite evident that the filmmakers made bold steps into an area they later on came to be accused of failing to approach correctly, which was Racism. This film was a critical darling of its time and even won a Best Picture Oscar, but we now look at it as some sort of macabre joke that was made on the whole film industry. And even those provided it the award are not shy of saying, “Man, what were we thinking. We should have given it to the one with the Cowboys.” To quote Ta-Nehisi Coates’s article ‘Worst Movie Of The Decade‘ from The Atlantic:
“I don’t think there’s a single human being in Crash. Instead, you have arguments and propaganda violently bumping into each other, impressed with their quirkiness.”
For the record, I only know this quote because of Lindsay Ellis’ fantastic video essay on the movie Bright, another film that brought up racial issues without thinking them through for more than about 15 seconds.
This is a sensitive topic that I would like to talk about, and as I openly state, maybe as a white guy I shouldn’t be the one talking about it, but to be honest, it’s something that I have to address if I review a film that has it as one of the elements of the story. It would be strange for me not to talk about it at least a little. You need to read reviews about this film that are made by People Of Color because they handle these issues far more knowledgeably than I do, but while you are here, let me share my opinion about this film The Great Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) is inspired by a false story of a New Yorker with extreme cases of racism, so extreme that it led him to throw out his glasses just because a pair of black men did some repairs to his apartment. This part of the film is played as a funny joke, the movie goes along with the narration where the horrifically racist acts done by the middle-aged man’s wife Deloris (Linda Cardellini) go completely universe. She does not mention it because she is probably so used to the racism that goes hand in hand with Tony being Lip. Even Tony’s extended family makes it a point to be in the apartment in the presence of the black workers and refer to them as “Eggplant”, a word I would let you google on your own. So, as expected, the trained racist Tony Lip is on a break from work as the musclebound Capocabanas has shut down for some restorative work. To keep the family’s financial needs being met, he takes on a new role under the name of Dr.
In one of the first scenes, we meet Don Shirley, played by Mahershala Ali, approaching a black gay man who owns a club in an attempt to get him to allow him to play the piano in his establishment. The man gives him a condescending and racist response. Shirley then proceeds to talk to a passive but semi-enthusiastic jeweler Tony who despite seeming bored, decides to cash in his chips. There is an indication this is Shirley’s regular place and as the story progresses, suggests he has been boxed in by the restrictions of society. Shirley’s desperate aftermath is indicative of the limited opportunities offered to skilled black men in white America. The combination of their mounting animosity towards each other suggests their mutual disillusionment with the American dream.
As the story unfolds, we can see an increasing change in Shirley’s posture as hopes of social mobility are endlessly curtailed by passive racism. The emotion of despair motivates him to try to get rid of his culture to become a man fit for white society. So, he tries to adapt to the clothes and etiquette of the skilled workers but that only ends with people laughing at him. Shirley ultimately fails his way into filthy rich American society. The reality sets in as Don witnesses a concert which signifies the music of the affluent that Americans have failed to break into. The feeling of hopelessness sinks deeper and triggers internal rage which manifests into other struggles within the film. The writer seems to be constantly tantalizing themselves asking “Isn’t it time already? Change the plot and give me the award.”
This movie has made some people outraged due to the director having to apologize for “tricking” people into looking at his penis, or the writer’s son who has now deleted his Twitter due to his overtly racist comments towards Muslims.
A fun fact is that the actual star of this movie is a Muslim, so there is a fun piece of trivia to add to all of this. Oh, and the relatives of the character that is purported to be the main character of this film (I will get to this) came out and called the film a “Symphony of Lies,” something that the writer and the movie (once more, the main character’s son) disputes. This statement alone is more fascinating than the film itself. It’s a film that postulates the thesis that racism can be solved with a good scolding from a person of color, and that’s pretty much all there is to it. And if that were the case, then can a Muslim grab a nice stern good talking to the writer of this film so he can cut that crap out? Oh, and that and racism are only brought to a halt by a white man bursting in with a clenched fist ready to fight for those who are affected because the white savior complex is something this film is almost bathed in so that every single frame is drenched in it.
it stands, the movie is average at best. It is a feel-good movie about racism aimed at people who probably never had to face racism head-on. It wants to comfort the viewers of this film into believing they are not racist as long as they have a black person to drive around and share an apple with. It sets out to make the audience sympathize with the racist who starts recognizing the racism that is done all around him, which in some cases may work, but in my case is an emotionless shell. If the film was focused on Dr Shirley, the issue of the character’s point of view could easily be changed. Unfortunately, it is not. It revolves around Tony and his realization of the racism that Dr Shirley is experiencing.
The actual victim of racism in this scenario gets pushed into the background where we can only observe how others respond to his suffering. We rarely get to witness how he responds to the pain aside from one scene in the rain which is essentially the scene that ‘Mahershala’ created to claim every award because the one time we see him address how the world treats him is the moment of the film. Even so, his story is not the main plot of the movie and for this reason, you will notice that Mahershala is nominated for SUPPORTING and not the lead role because this movie is about (surprisingly) the white guy’s experience as he discovers that racism is bad and trains a black man who he is driving around and teaches him how to eat fried chicken and who Aretha Franklin is. oh, we also never see the worst of the things that Dr. Shirley has to endure until Tony comes to save the day because we need to sprinkle some of that white savior fantasy as the rest of the world does.
That’s the ‘Green Book’ table and it is clear to me that this film has a lot of issues, but I must confess there are a few positives. Two of the main actors receiving such high praise is no shock to me because they do it, which I think allows this film to be enjoyed. Mortensen makes it easy to follow his character’s journey and his performance is on point, I don’t think he ever becomes fully likable, at least for me, because I am really over the lovable bigot thing. What is going on maybe is we’re in the times, but I’m tired. You can certainly see a fantastic performance of Viggo in this film. One that truly deserves a lot of praise.
Now let’s get rid of the red tape. The title seems simple, but if you look closely enough, there’s a hidden complexity there. I’m saying that Mahershala is as easily the best performance in the movie, and he is certainly winning that supporting role, Oscar, although he most definitely should be nominated for lead. Had the makers paid attention, they would know that in the story about racism, it is better to focus on the person suffering from it. The shots were beautiful, I can take other flaws, but the movie looks good in my eyes. I simply can not criticize the cinematography for even a second. A lot of the best work is done and helped by the proper framing, which manages to make this buddy movie, despite the problems that surround it, sort of work. Oh, wait, we are ignoring the issues that make it impossible to think otherwise.
All in all, this is a film that heavily relies on its primary actors to, not only try and mitigate the myriad issues I’ve outlined in over a thousand words but give a weird charm to this movie. While the film is riddled with problems, the leads do put in a great performance and if you happen to be looking for a film that “Makes the white people feel good about how they aren’t racist thanks to their black friend” kind of film, this would certainly do the trick. It’s not good or bad, per se. It’s a production on racism narrated by whites from a white person’s view hoping to demonstrate how a white man can eliminate racism by hitting more racist bigots in the face as hard as he possibly can. I’m not a fan of it, and I hope this doesn’t win best picture (Because damn it, Spike Lee deserves that award this year for BlacKkKlansman), but I can understand how someone would be able to watch this film devoid of its context and enjoy it. My viewing, unfortunately, suffers from knowing that context.
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