The movie is a true story about accomplished pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) who embarks on a tour with his 3-piece jazz band through the deep south. Shirley has rubbed elbows with the likes of Jack Kennedy and New York high society. As we learn, this journey is an attempt to connect with his roots. Logically he needs a driver, and fearing the worst he hires Tony "Lip," an Italian bouncer/driver/wannabe food critic (Viggo Mortensen). Come on, we've seen this movie before. You can imagine the dynamic: an uptight musician meets street-smart blue collar worker who also happens to be a casual racist. Through the course of their journeys, it becomes apparent that the two men have more in common than they do not.
We've seen the story before, especially that of race relations as told through a white protagonist. As far back as "In The Heat of the Night" and more recently with flicks like "The Help." I think what is more successful here is that both of our heroes go through a transformation, and it's as much about Shirley learning about his culture as it is Tony introducing him to it. As they drive, they listen to artists like Little Richard and Aretha Franklin, artists Shirley knows but has never listened to. Oh, and he's never tried fried chicken. Later in the film, Tony explains it to him in blunt terms: "It's like I'm more black than you are!" I can already head the dissenting articles come Oscar season.
As cliched as the film feels, it really finds success in the lead performances. Ali (recently an Oscar-winner for the drastically-different Moonlight) shines as an artist with much more to his being hidden under the surface. Rarely does it come to a boil, but we see his vices (drinking, isolation, etc) and we begin to understand the man. There's the briefest of scenes that indicates he is also a homosexual, but never again is this touched on or even pondered over. It's another scene in the long list of cliches that is needed to help flesh out this story. Sure, it's probably true, but the film cares less about the actual facts than hitting all the appropriate beats and in order.
Again, as much criticism as Mortensen might receive for playing a "white hero" in this film focused on black culture, I can't help but declare it to be the best male performance of the year. After gaining 50 pounds and adopting one of the most convincing Brooklyn/Italian accents I can remember, the actor who once played Aragorn is transformed in a stunning technical and comic performance. Not once did I even see the actor playing a part. Not often is such a character so vivid, but this film surely proves Viggo Mortensen as a technical master and also one of the sharpest ears for dialect. Watching him act is electric. Any scene without Mortensen simply doesn't feel like a scene.
Can you guess the ending? I was surprised to see it become a near-exact copy of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" by the end, complete with a race to the Christmas dinner table. On the way, the two men race north to New York through a torrent snowstorm, racing away from a south that denied Shirley the chance to dine among white patrons in a restaurant and use the indoor bathroom at a party where he is the guest of honor. You can practically hear the sighs as they pass a "Now leaving West Virginia" road sign. This is a fine movie that will hit a lot of people's buttons and will likely garner much support come Oscar season. Is this one of the top 10 movies of the year? I sincerely doubt it. When is Hollywood going to start looking past these tropes? We don't need more stories about 1960's segregation seen through rose-tinted glass. Look at a newspaper. Why ignore what's right in front of us?
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