Green Book: Based on a True Story
I saw Green Book last night and it was a corny, saccharine piece of doggy poo, but that’s besides the point. The movie presents a bigger issue among the cinematic universe: the fallacious, historically insulting nature of what is known as “based on a true story.”
Green Book tells the story of Tony Lip, a bigoted, Italian-American bouncer and the unlikely friendship he forms with classical pianist Don Shirley after serving as his personal driver for a concert tour in the deep south. From the very beginning we learn a few key things about our protagonist: he’s a dunce. He eats like a pig. He’s violent. And of course, he’s racist as fuck. We like Tony, though. I don’t know why, but we do. He needs a job and attends an interview in Dr. Shirley’s office. After referring to the Asian man that was interviewed before him as a “chink,” he is hired. Tony and Dr. Shirley’s relationship starts off rocky. Shirley is not fond of his diction, nor his views, nor his general buffoonery. They’re polar opposites and despite there being no catalyst for the warmth they exhibit towards each other in the latter half of the film, the movie insists they had a supreme closeness. Throughout the film, we get a glimpse at the general adversity that Shirley faces: denied from restaurants, harassed at bars, forced to use an outhouse instead of a normal restroom. In one particular scene, we see a naked Shirley cuffed next to another man, hinting at his rumored homosexuality, of which has never been proven. By the end, we’re left with a cheeriness that feels unearned and a mythos all too lame.
Skepticism ensues...
We learn that those behind the film never talked to Shirley’s family during the entire production.
And the distortion unravels...
According to the family of Shirley, Tony was never considered a friend. If anything, they simply co-existed, one being a boss, the other an employee. Additionally, Don Shirley never addressed his sexuality publicly. Tony never taught Shirley how to eat fried chicken. The scene in which Shirley was beaten up by a group of men at a bar never happened. Almost none of the film is true to life, outside of the basics.
Therein lies the problem. The film tells a cute, heartfelt story, while failing to recognize that Shirley was a real man that had complexities and talent and vigor and intelligence. Fantastical, feel-good, it warms hearts at the expense of discrediting Don Shirley’s true life and persona. It undermines his genius and virtuosity. It undermines his achievements and his struggles. It’s a film about acceptance told through the eyes of those who haven’t experienced hardship. It’s a cash grab masquerading as social commentary. It did exactly what it set out do, all while knowing that Shirley’s reputation is now tied to sanctimonious falsehood.
To near everyone who sees this film, they’ll take it for fact: This is the life of Don Shirley. This is what happened in all its gooey, syrupy, sugary goodness.
It isn’t.
So, go get your Oscars, Green Book. Hope it was worth it.
