Green Book won big at the Golden Globes and Twitter is in its feelings about it.
Sunday, the film starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, won Best Screenplay, Best Motion Picture and Best Supporting Actor. The film was intended to be a feel good flick about how famed Black concert pianist Don Shirley (Ali) became friends with his white bodyguard Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Mortenson) while traveling through the South on tour.
But from the start the movie release has been bogged down by controversy.
Although the project was received well by critics, audiences blasted it for an approach that seemed to expect audiences to be touched by that tired old “white savior” cliche. Some even went as so far as to call it “a reverse “Driving Miss Daisy”
Then in November, while promoting the film, Mortensen shocked the audience present at the Arclight Cinemas Hollywood when he used the n-word during a Q&A panel that took place just before the screening.
https://twitter.com/kleinHK/status/1060431585449697283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1060431585449697283&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthegrio.com%2F2018%2F11%2F09%2Fviggo-mortenson-uses-n-word-at-green-book-panel-issues-apology%2F
READ MORE: Viggo Mortenson uses ‘N-word’ at ‘Green Book’ panel, issues apology
Despite the actor’s apology, by then the damage had been done in the court of public opinion. So when the film was announced as Best Picture – while more celebrated films like Black Panther got completely snubbed – viewers took to social media to express their displeasure.
“Pretty bold for that Green Book speech to hinge on how INSPIRING Don Shirley’s story was when Don Shirley’s family keeps insisting that wasn’t his story at all” tweeted one viewer referencing allegations from Shirley’s family that the movie was based on false accounts that Tony Lip told his son about his time with the Black musician.
One member of the family even went so far as to call the project a “a symphony of lies,” which prompted Ali to personally apologize to Shirley’s loved ones for unknowingly taking part in that deception.
Your regular reminder that white creators of Green Book relied on a fraudulent white savior narrative that isn't even historically accurate https://t.co/IxhI86foIO
— Astead (@AsteadWH) January 7, 2019
Despite the ongoing bad publicity surrounding his film, director Peter Farrelly attempted to make his acceptance speech inspirational, but even that didn’t exactly go off as planned.
Check out Green Book’s moment of victory and the less than excited reactions below.
READ MORE: Veteran journalist Ed Gordon revisits his 2002 interview with R. Kelly
https://twitter.com/kpfallon/status/1082124481567621120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1082124481567621120&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Ftv%2Fgreen-book-winning-best-picture-at-golden-globes-infuriates-twitter-oh-no%2F
https://twitter.com/kvanaren/status/1082124913081757696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1082124913081757696&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Ftv%2Fgreen-book-winning-best-picture-at-golden-globes-infuriates-twitter-oh-no%2F
https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/1082103820656742400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1082103820656742400&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Ftv%2Fgreen-book-winning-best-picture-at-golden-globes-infuriates-twitter-oh-no%2F
And for real, Black Panther winning nothing and Green Book cleaning up at the #GoldenGIobes… pic.twitter.com/VcoBQiOAlm
— Liz Courquet-Lesaulnier (@losangelista) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/fashioniconluke/status/1082123408135970816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1082123408135970816&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Ftv%2Fgreen-book-winning-best-picture-at-golden-globes-infuriates-twitter-oh-no%2F
https://twitter.com/ayoedebiri/status/1082130728509468674
adjusting to green book maybe winning all of these at the oscars too pic.twitter.com/tqCF1U7K6J
— AB (@AlannaBennett) January 7, 2019