The film Green Book (2018) is inspired by the true story of a 1962 concert tour through the Jim Crow-era Deep South. It follows the unlikely friendship between ( Mahershala Ali ), a world-class African-American classical pianist, and Tony "Lip" Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a tough-talking Italian-American bouncer hired to be Shirley's driver and bodyguard. Key elements of the story include:
: Tony Lip is hired to drive Dr. Shirley from Manhattan to the Deep South for a series of performances. Despite their clashing personalities and backgrounds, they must rely on each other to navigate the dangerous and racially segregated landscape of the 1960s.
The story was co-written by Tony Lip's son, Nick Vallelonga, and is based on interviews with his father and Shirley, as well as letters Tony wrote to his wife during the tour.