Anytime a movie is done about a real-life person, there are bound to be critics. But not everyone is thrilled with Peter Farrelly's movie about Donald Shirley. The Green Book is a true story, in a sense; but as the Shirley family has suggested, it may well have been more Tony Lip’s view of things than Shirley’s. That's definitely true in the Green Book movie which uses the real-life guide for Black travelers back in the day as a backdrop to tell the story of pianist Dr. Don Shirley. Michael Kappeyne and John Scoulios were two young men who stumbled into musician Don Shirley's life — and neither would be the same again. Yes. After this look at Don Shirley and the true story behind The Green Book , learn more about the Jim Crow-era that Don Shirley lived through. Green Book Writer Claims Don Shirley Didn’t Want Him to Reach Out to His Family Nick Vallelonga responded to the backlash from the late pianist’s family after he won two Oscars. After a relative of Dr. Don Shirley called Green Book’s portrayal of the genius pianist “a symphony of lies,” star Mahershala Ali reached out to the family to apologize. Green Book is being touted as an awards season darling. By Yohana Dest a Green Book Director Peter Farrelly Defends Film Amid Criticism by Don Shirley’s Family “I believe in this movie. A fact-check of Green Book reveals that, in this case, the movie is honest in its portrayal of Lip. According to Lip's son, Nick Vallelonga, Lip had indeed been racist before his trip with musician Don Shirley, attributing it to growing up on the Italian-American streets of the Bronx.