Green Book
Universal Pictures | Release Date: November 16, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 52 Critic Reviews
Positive:
37
Mixed:
13
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
ObserverRex ReedNov 18, 2018
Witty and warm as cashmere, Green Book is a two-hander in which both stars soar with humor and heart. Read full review
100
Washington PostAnn HornadayNov 14, 2018
Most winningly, Green Book puts two of the finest screen actors working today in a sexy turquoise Cadillac, letting them loose on a funny, swiftly-moving chamber piece bursting with heart, art and soul. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleNov 14, 2018
There’s something so deeply right about this movie, so true to the time depicted and so welcome in this moment; so light in its touch, so properly respectful of its characters, and so big in its spirit that the movie acquires a glow. Read full review
91
Original-CinJim SlotekNov 19, 2018
Green Book is not the deepest depiction of racism, but it is a funny and heartwarming depiction of a friendship, forged in a car. Read full review
90
Film ThreatAndy HowellSep 18, 2018
Green Book is a real crowd pleaser — aside from the banter between the oppositely-minded characters, it has clear heroes and villains. The writers do manage to sneak a few nuances in, especially when discussing Shirley feeling out of place in both the white and black communities. Read full review
88
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonNov 19, 2018
Ali and Mortensen make the friendship feel real, using some unexpected tools from Farrelly's kit. His comedic instincts help the movie tiptoe through some dangerous cultural minefields. Read full review
88
The Associated PressLindsey BahrNov 19, 2018
If there is a big studio movie that’s more generally crowd-pleasing than Green Book this season, I have yet to find it. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNov 19, 2018
Thanks in large part to the winning chemistry between Ali and Mortensen, and a pretty darn inspirational true-life story as its foundation, this was one of the best times I’ve had at the movies this year. Read full review
88
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiNov 18, 2018
The lighthearted drama, about a road trip by two men — one white, one black — is unflinchingly optimistic. Read full review
88
USA TodayBrian TruittNov 13, 2018
It’s the master class put on by Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali that powers this moving and often hilarious work and gives it mass appeal. Read full review
85
TheWrapSteve PondNov 19, 2018
To say that we know where the characters in Green Book are going is not to cheapen the undeniable pleasures of the ride. Read full review
85
Film Journal InternationalKevin LallyNov 13, 2018
There’s something almost inevitable about these real-life characters getting a feature showcase, so unusual, engaging and inspiring is their journey from antagonism to deep friendship. Read full review
83
UproxxVince ManciniNov 19, 2018
Green Book certainly paints a rosy picture of race relations, but ultimately I don’t think its little white lies are a bad thing. Like my father did with me, it’s telling us a story that makes our grandfathers seem better than they probably were. But it does so as an example of how we should be, as an aspirational ideal that maybe we’ll live up to one day even if we didn’t yesterday. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattNov 18, 2018
In a world that seems to get uglier every day, this movie’s gentle heart and mere humanity feel like a salve. Read full review
83
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerNov 16, 2018
Mortensen, who reportedly put on thirty pounds for the role, starts out playing Tony like a big lug but as the road trip ensues he brings all sorts of subtle shadings to the role. He even comes to appreciate Doc’s artistry. In Tony’s eyes, he’s right up there with Liberace. Read full review
80
EmpireJohn NugentJan 28, 2019
A supremely likeable film. Its message might seem obvious and its template overcooked, but it boasts a warm heart, with two astoundingly good lead performances to guide it home. Read full review
80
Total FilmKevin HarleyJan 28, 2019
When the sentiment threatens to turn gloopy, Ali and Mortensen’s terrific leads steer Farrelly back on-track. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfDec 6, 2018
Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali are masterful in this rousing period piece, alternating belly laughs with an unflinching view of a nation at war with itself. Read full review
80
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottNov 19, 2018
Ali and Mortensen are both fantastic in their respective roles. Every bit as important is the surprisingly charming script, which uses humor to soften its touchy subject matter. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranNov 15, 2018
Green Book is a savvy and super effective piece of popular entertainment. Read full review
80
Rolling StonePeter TraversNov 13, 2018
Green Book is a movie about class as well as race, and Farrelly rightly refuses to paint a pretty picture. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 12, 2018
Featuring a pair of terrific performances by Viggo Mortensen as a goombah with a heart of gold and Mahershala Ali as multilingual composer-musician Don Shirley, the story may be unique, yet it goes pretty much exactly the way you might expect. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldNov 29, 2018
The likable tale of a real-life friendship, Green Book lets us spend two hours in the company of two electric actors. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliNov 23, 2018
Green Book avoids sanctimoniousness in presenting this heartfelt, if sometimes familiar, story of mismatched strangers who learn to overlook boundaries of race, sexual orientation, and class as circumstances force them to rely on one another. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireNov 16, 2018
Damned if it doesn’t work beautifully for nearly the entirety of its two hour-plus running time. Green Book is the kind of old-fashioned filmmaking big studios just don’t offer anymore. It’s glossy and zippy, gliding along the surface of deeply emotional, complex issues while dipping down into them just enough to give us a taste of some actual substance. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreOct 25, 2018
Green Book invites you to come along for the ride, the comfort food, the socio-political sparks and the laughs. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineJake ColeSep 17, 2018
Peter Farrelly manages to respect the severity of the characters’ social context while ensuring that Green Book never steps outside its protagonists’ relationship, a delicate balancing act that credibly makes a feel-good, effervescent comedy out of its thorny subject matter without ever sanitizing it. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnSep 12, 2018
It’s an obvious but enjoyable period piece — and a throwback to another era of Hollywood filmmaking, resurrected in the 21st century with two of the best actors working today, who elevate this didactic form of storytelling above the market standard for schmaltz. Read full review
75
The PlaylistVictor StiffSep 12, 2018
Green Book is an on-the-nose social commentary that is told with such craftsmanship, earnestness, and comedic expertise that you’re still excited to go along for the ride. Read full review
74
The AtlanticChristopher OrrDec 6, 2018
Green Book may supply little in the way of meaningful commentary on racial dynamics either in the 1960s or today. But thanks to Mortensen and Ali, it’s a perfectly pleasant way to spend two hours. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinNov 20, 2018
On paper it sounds cringeworthy, but much of it is great fun. Mortensen is cartoonish in the most marvelous way. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthySep 12, 2018
Distinctive and amusing turns by Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali make Peter Farrelly’s first solo feature outing a lively and likable diversion. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenNov 20, 2018
Two terrific performances and the interplay between the two actors – Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen – are the reasons to see Green Book. Their pas de deux is a master class in acting, and the twosome’s give and take provides good company for the road trip that comprises the heart of this narrative. Read full review
67
The Film StageJordan RaupNov 19, 2018
Farrelly is telling a heart-warming, comical buddy story first and foremost, and Green Book, for better or worse, feels more like a wholehearted familial embrace than a treatise on the state of race in America today. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsNov 18, 2018
A crowd-pleasing hit at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the movie may not be accurate history (welcome to the movies!). It may not even be particularly interested in one of its two main characters, for various reasons. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzNov 15, 2018
Farrelly’s film is worth witnessing, especially given how it is now all but destined to dominate the awards conversation. But do yourself a favour: Each time your fellow moviegoers burst into applause, ask just who it is they’re clapping for. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrNov 14, 2018
It’s the kind of movie that hammers on your heart even as it’s tripping over its feet, hobbled by unexamined notions of race, ethnicity, and class. Don’t look too closely, and you’ll have a very good time. Read full review
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