The 2019 Academy Awards had a lot of buzz. This year they decided to go host-less after Kevin Hart bowed out from his Twitter controversy (sometimes it's better to delete your tweets people). There were several historic wins and nominations, such as Ruth E. Carter winning and Oscar for costume design for her work on Black Panther. She's the first African American to ever win this award! And the performance of Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper had everyone sweating and tweeting up a storm. Something that has also been giving people a lot to talk about is the Best Picture Oscar going to Green Book.
For those of you who did not see Green Book it is about the relationship between Dr. Don Shirley and Tony Vallelonga. Dr. Shirley embarks on a concert tour of the Deep South and procures Vallelonga to be his driver. They use the "Green Book", which was a guide to safe places for Black people to eat and stay while on the road in America. Over the course of the concert tour Vallelonga and Dr. Shirley become friends and learn more about each other along the way.
I have seen Green Book and I will say I enjoyed it. It covers important race relations but you leave the theatre feeling hopeful for a bright and happy future in America. While I liked the movie, do I think it deserved the award of Best Picture?...No. I will say I am biased because Black Panther is my favorite movie and A Star is Born gives me chills through every second. But, I had on my ballot card that Roma would win. People are not very pleased with Green Book holding the mantle of Best Picture winner and I cannot speak for most people, I can only speak for myself. I believe Green Book was the safe choice to win Best Picture.
In terms of diversity (something we're all craving more of from Hollywood), this movie was the easiest to digest when it came to social commentary. Green Book gave the audience a look into race relations in America and in the Deep South during the 1960s. The audience was never given any cringeworthy or disgusted feelings even as police officers, bar goers or passersby gave racist comments and judgements towards Dr. Shirley and the friendship they shared. Meanwhile, in BlackkKlansman, your skin crawls every minute as you watch Ron Stallworth have conversations with David Duke or hear the monstrous prayers of KKK members hoping all Black people would die. Spike Lee did not shy away, nor should he, from the blatant and violent racism that the KKK and white supremacists share on a daily basis. Green Book, on the other hand, put the audience into the a racially divided nation but enhanced their comfort so no one felt threatened or bitter.
In my opinion, Green Book had enough racial commentary for the voters to feel it was diverse while not alienating a White audience. Unfortunately, I believe the Best Picture Oscar should go to a film that exhibits a factor that we have never seen before. Something that will make us leave the theatre and think about this film for days or weeks to come. Green Book was a pleasant film, but it did not leave as much of a lasting impression as the other nominees did. It will be interesting to see what happens in next year's race for the gold and will this winner age well? In 5 years, will everyone look back on the 2019 Oscars and say, "Yes, Green Book was the perfect choice." Or with they say, "Why would they do that?"
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