Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, said that the Best Picture-nominated “Green Book” was a “missed opportunity” to portray the nuances of an African American character like Dr. Don Shirley. Johnson also said that the film relied on a “negative stereotype” and a “false storyline.”
Johnson spoke with TheWrap during the Television Critics Association press tour. And while he praised Mahershala Ali’s performance as Don Shirley, he said that director Peter Farrelly’s film is inaccurate and a “setback.”
“Mahershala Ali’s portrayal, I mean, his skills were great. So I see that as a missed opportunity to have great content that’s more accurate than not,” Johnson told TheWrap at TCA. “So for me, it was great acting skills for Mahershala, with a false storyline that’s masquerading to be true.”
Universal didn’t immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on Johnson’s comments.
Ali was nominated for an NAACP Image Award on Wednesday, the film’s only nomination.
Johnson also said that the writers failed to speak with Shirley’s family about his character. “Green Book” was co-written by Nick Vallelonga, the son of the white character Tony Vallelonga who was portrayed by Viggo Mortensen. According to Vallelonga, Shirley asked Vallelonga to not contact the Shirley family while he was researching the film. And Vallelonga also told TheWrap that Shirley confirmed all the stories he had heard from his father.
“When you create a movie like ‘Green Book’ and you project as if there’s a white guy introducing a black guy to fried chicken — a traditional African American dish — which is patently wrong, the family says that, there was never any conversation with the family about the uniqueness of the character,” Johnson said. “So as a result of that, none of the quality nuances of the character came through and it fell on a very myopic, negative stereotype that should no longer exist.”
Ali previously addressed and apologized for the backlash over “Green Book” after Shirley’s family referred to the film as a “symphony of lies.” Ali spoke with the family directly and said he did not realize that Shirley had living family members with whom he could’ve consulted.
“He called me and my Uncle Maurice in which he apologized profusely if there had been any offense,” Edwin Shirley told NPR. “What he said was, ‘If I have offended you, I am so, so terribly sorry. I did the best I could with the material I had. I was not aware that there were close relatives with whom I could have consulted to add some nuance to the character.'”
“Green Book” is nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture.
Golden Globes' 10 Most Ludicrous Comedy or Musical Picks, From 'Get Out' to 'Green Book' (Photos)
Throughout its history, the Golden Globes have consistently made oddball choices when it comes to determining what films qualify under its Comedy or Musical categories. Here are 10 other instances that raise an eyebrow:
Justin Lubin/Universal
"The Three Musketeers" (1974)
There are a lot of examples of sumptuous, overly colorful period pieces and adventures that flirt with the musical tag, but the funniest thing about the 1973 "Three Musketeers," which was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy, is that Charlton Heston would play a villainous Cardinal.
Twentieth Century Fox
"Ghost" (1990)
We've gotten a lot of mileage out of parodies of that pottery scene, but just because Whoopi Goldberg is in "Ghost" doesn't make it a comedy. It was nominated in the Best Musical or Comedy category and lost to Peter Weir's "Green Card."
Paramount Pictures
"Fargo" (1996)
It isn't easy to pin down one genre for any Coen Brothers movie, especially "Fargo." But the real joke is that "Fargo" ended up losing to "Evita."
Gramercy Pictures
"Vicky Christina Barcelona" (2008)
The Globes would eventually figure out with "Blue Valentine" that there are some times when Woody Allen just prefers to not be funny, so why not this time? It did manage to win in the Musical or Comedy category however.
MGM
"The Tourist" (2010)
How can we invite Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp to the awards ceremony? Let's nominate this romantic action caper with a 20 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and stick it in the Musical or Comedy category!
Columbia Pictures
"RED" (2010)
Yeah, it's an action movie, but we'd find some way to invite Helen Mirren to the awards ceremony if we could too.
Summit Entertainment
"My Week With Marilyn" (2011)
Maybe someone will make a movie worthy of a Golden Globe that celebrates Marilyn Monroe's musical and comedic achievements. But this drama about Monroe's romantic fling in London wasn't it. The Michelle Williams film lost to "The Artist" that year.
The Weinstein Company
"The Martian" (2015)
"In your face, Neil Armstrong!" That line of dialogue is just about all it takes to be considered a comedy it seems. And it won!
Twentieth Century Fox
"Get Out" (2017)
Jordan Peele's "Get Out" is funny in that queasy, racially tense and awkward way -- but make no mistake, it's a horror movie. But it was nominated in the Best Musical or Comedy category and lost to "Lady Bird."
Universal Pictures
"Green Book" (2018)
While some jokes are cracked about how much the lead character eats, the story of a white bouncer hired to drive a closeted Black pianist through the racist South is more of a light-hearted drama than anything else.
Courtesy of TIFF
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The categories for ”My Week With Marilyn“ and ”The Tourist“ also had moviegoers scratching their heads
Throughout its history, the Golden Globes have consistently made oddball choices when it comes to determining what films qualify under its Comedy or Musical categories. Here are 10 other instances that raise an eyebrow: