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Green Book, described as a "reverse Driving Miss Daisy" and starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, is now another unexpected crowd pleaser to come out of TIFF. Audiences apparently went nuts for this, sounds like we will be hearing a lot more about this movie in the coming months

From half the Dumb and Dumber guys?

Yep. Awards Seasons always have their share of surprises, don't they?

I have a sneaky feeling, sight unseen, this will be this year’s secretly racist movie that audiences like but “film Twitter” becomes infuriated with. Just a feeling.

It certainly sounds awful, racial politics aside. Audiences went nuts for Life Itself at TIFF too. That said, those are two very appealing leads.

Where did you read TIFF audiences responded to Life Itself on the same level they greeted this?

domino harvey wrote: Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:36 pm Yep. Awards Seasons always have their share of surprises, don't they?

I guess if Adam McKay is allowed to we should start preparing for Best Picture winning Adam Shankman soon.

domino harvey wrote: Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:43 pm Where did you read TIFF audiences responded to Life Itself on the same level they greeted this?

There was a video of effusive applause it received from the crowd after its screening going around on Twitter, but I can't find it at the moment using some keywords

knives wrote: Wed Sep 12, 2018 5:34 pm From half the Dumb and Dumber guys?

This gave me a double-take as well when I came across the trailer. The Farrellys' routine hasn't exactly aged well so I can understand wanting to branch out, although I can't say the trailer made it look at all promising.

This won the top Audience Award at TIFF. A cursory look at recent tweets from attendees shows the reported audience response to this film is unlike anything we've seen from a non-blockbuster in some time-- many critics seem more focused on how much their audience vocally enjoyed it than any other aspect

What a ridiculous world we live in where someone can't quote a word when specifically talking out against it and with zero chance anyone listening to his comments could sincerely take them to endorse using the word

I guess I'm not going to question how Ali felt when he heard the word, though my first thought in response to "The use of the word by those who aren’t black, is not up for debate" was "unless they're in a Spike Lee movie"

These people would faint two minutes into a Tarantino movie.

swo17 wrote: Sat Nov 10, 2018 5:49 pm I guess I'm not going to question how Ali felt when he heard the word, though my first thought in response to "The use of the word by those who aren’t black, is not up for debate" was "unless they're in a Spike Lee movie"

We don't even know if he felt that, or if it was just damage control. If Ali said he didn't mind Mortensen's use of the world, he would probably get crucified too and that would be it for the film.

At any rate, Mortensen’s comments couldn’t possibly be any less thoughtful than the trailer makes this movie look.

Brian C wrote: Sat Nov 10, 2018 11:21 pm At any rate, Mortensen’s comments couldn’t possibly be any less thoughtful than the trailer makes this movie look.

Agreed. I cannot fathom that this is going to be a deeply thoughtful look at race. I imagine any controversy Mortensen has generated will be forgotten once the film gets a wide release and critical eyes begin to gaze upon the film proper.

domino harvey wrote: Sat Nov 10, 2018 5:45 pm What a ridiculous world we live in where someone can't quote a word when specifically talking out against it and with zero chance anyone listening to his comments could sincerely take them to endorse using the word

Arbitrary taboos come in all shapes and sizes, and this one’s about as ironclad as it gets. I think any thinking person realises on some level that American social rules relating to ““the n-word”” are absurd and contradictory, and that, for all the serious and complex issues surrounding etymology, the psychological effects of racial slurs, and the politics of word reclamation, so much of this in practice is just Victorians covering table legs. Chris Rock skewers the absurdity of all this perfectly in his bit about white people singing along to hip-hop (check it out on YouTube).

(Also, Mortensen’s faux pas reminds me of the even funnier time when Benedict Cumberbatch briefly got in shit for saying “coloured people” instead of “people of colour” when denouncing racism, which might be a rare actual instance of political correctness gone mad.)

Saw this a few weeks ago and I think it will definitely win some awards.. I personally loved this, even though it can be a bit corny. It's basically a Farrelly movie through and through, dick and fart jokes included, and like most of their other films has a lot of heart, but its the subject matter that is treated with more care.

That aside, Mortenson's portrayal of an Italian is just as racist, if not more, as his use of the N-Word at the Q&A so its a bit of a head scratcher to see why no one has mentioned that but such is life.

I disagree, as many did earlier in this thread. He obviously meant to use the word as an example of change. This isn't Harry Potter world where uttering the word in a specific context will summon up you know who.
But then again America is the land of hypocrisy

How do you stop a crowd pleaser in its tracks? By the crowd not showing up. Despite continued rapturous responses from people who see it, people aren't seeing it, and its early box office numbers are dismal. The film's best bet is word of mouth keeps it going, but after topping or being near the top of most Oscar pundits' lists to win Best Pic, expect fewer and fewer predicting it

I'm sure the fact that it looks like something made in the 1980s, coupled with inane advertising (these guys sure like to eat!) isn't helping. I think people have largely moved on from this type of film, for better or worse.

I pretty much agree. I'll see it this week, and the film could be a masterpiece for all I know, but the trailer makes it look downright inane. And since I've seen the trailer in front of almost every movie I've seen for the past 2 months or so (no exaggeration - also applies to The Mule), I can state with some confidence that audience reaction to it seems weak. The only moment that really gets a laugh is when Viggo throws the cup out of the window.

domino harvey wrote: Mon Nov 19, 2018 3:14 pm How do you stop a crowd pleaser in its tracks? By the crowd not showing up. Despite continued rapturous responses from people who see it, people aren't seeing it, and its early box office numbers are dismal. The film's best bet is word of mouth keeps it going, but after topping or being near the top of most Oscar pundits' lists to win Best Pic, expect fewer and fewer predicting it

It had a better per theater average than Widows and Instant Family. Considering it opened in only 25 theaters I don't see what the negative take is from.

... those numbers are not dismal by any stretch of the imagination.