Over the past handful of years, the Academy has awarded Best Picture to a crop of well-received, ambitious films including the likes of Everything Everywhere All at Once, Oppenheimer, and One Battle After Another. However, the Oscars have a rather long history of making questionable decisions, and there’s no shortage of divisive Best Picture winners. One of the more recent examples of that is Green Book, which took home the top prize over the likes of Roma, A Star is Born, and BlacKkKlansman. While its Best Picture win was polarizing, Green Book was a major hit in theaters ($321.8 million worldwide), and now it’s finding even more success on streaming.
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For the week of April 27th-May 3rd, Green Book was the No. 4 film on Netflix in the United States. It was behind only a trio of hit Netflix originals: the Sandler family comedy Roommates, the new animated movie Swapped, and the action thriller Apex. Green Book beat out the global sensation Kpop Demon Hunters to secure its place on the chart. This was the biopic’s first week in the streamer’s top 10.
Why Green Book Was a Controversial Best Picture Winner
Based on review metrics, Green Book was solidly received. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a Certified Fresh critics score of 77%, and the audience score is even higher at 92%. In a vacuum, those are clearly good figures that indicate the biopic is a crowd-pleasing, feel-good dramedy. However, some felt it wasn’t the strongest option to win Best Picture. During its run in theaters, Green Book was subject to criticism for a few reasons. Its approach to the serious subject matter of racism didn’t sit well with circles of viewers; there were those who felt Green Book was an example of the “white savior” trope, and that the film was hamstrung by placing so much of a focus on Tony Lip’s personal journey.
Relatives of Don Shirley also criticized the film, saying it was not an accurate portrayal of the pianist’s relationship with Tony Lip. Green Book star Mahershala Ali, who won an Oscar for his performance as Shirley, even contacted those family members afterwards to apologize, saying he was unaware there were people he could have reached out to during the film’s development. The film’s screenplay was co-written by Nick Vallelonga, Tony Lip’s son, who based the script on recordings of his father and Shirley, as well as letters Tony wrote to his family while he was out on the road with Shirley. The source material for Green Book is likely why some took issue with the film’s perspective, believing it wasn’t as well rounded as it could have been.
While Green Book may not have been nuanced in its storytelling, it still has a few things going for it that make it worth a watch. The film’s biggest selling point is the chemistry between Ali and Viggo Mortensen, who plays Tony Lip. The actors do an excellent job of crafting an entertaining and heartfelt dynamic, showing how the characters formed a strong friendship and taught each other valuable lessons along the way. Questions of historical accuracy linger over the proceedings, but taken at face value, both Mortensen and Ali are characteristically great and bring the story being told to life in a captivating way.
Getting an opportunity to see a pair of outstanding lead performances is a main reason why Green Book found success on Netflix. Additionally, it’s a new addition to the streamer’s library. The Oscar winner premiered on Netflix on the first of the month, and those fresh arrivals always get a boost in viewership because subscribers are constantly browsing the home page to see what’s new. Green Book may nearly be a decade old, but the conversations around the film and its star power are enough to make it a draw at home.
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