This week on FFR, Ebony and Carolyn take a road trip with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in Green Book. The film initially had a good deal of Oscar buzz, and in fact it was just chosen as the best film of 2018 by the National Board of Review. However, not everyone thinks the praise is deserved. In our conversation, we examine the film’s reliance on stereotypes about what defines “real” blackness and the way it centers a white character in what should be a black man’s story, while also praising the exceptional performance by Mahershala Ali, a performance that deserved a better film.
Also, we discuss the media’s handling of George H. W. Bush’s passing, and Carolyn issues an apology for certain statements made during last week’s discussion of Sabrina.
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SEGMENT TIMESTAMPS:
2:25 Carolyn’s apology
6:30 Pop culture news (Daredevil is cancelled, responses to the death of George H.W. Bush, the issue of “blackfishing” on Instagram)
19:10 Green Book
44:55 What’s Your FREQ-Out? (Ebony on rewatching The West Wing, Carolyn on Red Dead Redemption 2)
RELEVANT LINKS:
‘Green Book’ Somehow Manages to Make a Uniquely Black Story All About the White Guy And the Results Are Ridiculous — Candice Frederick for Slashfilm
The Women “Blackfishing” on Instagram Aren’t Exactly Trying to Be Black — Lauren Michele Jackson for Slate