Ferrari (2023) User Reviews

Could have been a lot better

[ethanbresnett · 6/10 · 23 December 2023]

For a film helmed by Michael Mann and starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, I was expecting a lot more from this.

By the end, I didn't feel like I was much closer to Enzo Ferrari or his wife. I didn't come away with much more of an understanding or appreciation of the racing element. I didn't feel overly thrilled or engaged.

This all sounds a bit negative, but that's not to say there aren't positives to this film. Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz are really strong, even if they don't peel back the layers of the characters enough for me. However this is more of a criticism of the script than the performances. The racing scenes are well executed although could be a little more exciting and perhaps even shot a little better. Speaking of the direction, it is fine but I think there was potential to really get creative and design some thrilling set pieces. It probably didn't help that the pacing of this film was totally off, feeling much longer than it actually is, which reduced the impact of some of these scenes.

Overall I think this is a film of what could have been. There's an interesting story and an interesting man at the heart of all of this, but it just wasn't teased out enough.

A lot of missed potential

[ruelshepperd · 6/10 · 1 January 2024]

In the surface, Ferrari appears to be a well-directed, well-acted and adrenaline fuelled with excellent racing sequences. And yet, throughout the film, I couldn't help but feel disinterested and dissatisfied. This film has all the elements to be a slam dunk and yet I never felt attached to Enzo Ferrari and his struggles.

The performances are decent overall. Unfortunately, I was most disappointed by Adam Driver as the titular character. He never showcases the great range that I know he is capable with. His Enzo Ferrari is very reserved and somewhat bland. It's not helped that he is speaking English while attempting an Italian accent. If Chernobyl (2019) can get away with all English dialogue, then I feel you can do that here. It would certainly allow Driver to reach greater levels of acting. The saviour of this film is certainly Penélope Cruz. She delivers an excellent performance as Laura and I wish she got more screen time.

But if you're here for the racing, the film does delivers. It's few and far between, but the third act is a long, intense race with great sound design and editing. It's a shame that you're not invested in any of the racers since the film doesn't characterise any of them. It means the climax of the film doesn't hit as hard as it probably should. It's certainly shocking and brutal but it's hard to stay immersed when the violence is so over the top and the CGI is not quite great.

Overall, Ferrari feels like a film that could've been better. The characters could've been better, the story could've covered a more interesting part of Enzo Ferrari's life and the acting could've been more. I left this film not feeling like I did not know Enzo Ferrari. It's a film that perhaps is not for me, but I can see how others enjoy it.

Ironically Slow Given The Subject Matter

[cdjh-81125 · 5/10 · 18 December 2023]

Ferrari ends up being such a slog of a movie in place of what should've been a thrilling an interesting portrait of a complex figure. The performances might be solid and there's an effective moment here or there but the word that comes to mind when describing the film as a whole is flat. This filmmaker and cast telling a story with this interesting a subject matter should've amounted to a lot more than it ultimately did. For as exhilarating as motor racing is supposed to be I have to say I found the film to be overwhelmingly dull when all was said and done.

The whole aesthetic is totally without life which is the last thing I would've expected for a director of Michael Mann's calibre. Mann takes a very documentarian approach to the directing and it just robs the film of any energy or sense of direction. From almost the opening minutes there a serious lack of momentum. The scenes play out in very beat for beat type way with no sense of flair and as impressive as the racing sequences are they're too few and far between to save this movie from the drag that it ends up being. All the scenes away from the track are framed in the most shot/reverse shot manner imaginable so almost none of the dramatic moments had any sort of impact on me. There's an extremely effective moment in the 3rd act that felt like Mann was finally adding some stakes to the whole thing by then it was too little too late for me.

The script here is painfully unremarkable and it rears its head in how it portrays its main character. Adam Driver is solid in the role as Enzo Ferrari, though I wouldn't rate it as one of his best performances, but I never really found the depiction of the character to be that compelling. It's established early on that Ferrari puts up a wall around everyone but as an audience member it put me at a distance from his character. I didn't think there were enough moments where his guard went down and we see what really drives him so as a result I just found him to be a bit of a rich egomaniac with motivations I didn't find to be that interesting. There's a love triangle that's set up with Penelope Cruz and Shailene Woodley's characters that almost felt like it should've been the scripts main focus but after a while it just fades into the background for the central race to take up more screen time. Driver and Cruz have good chemistry but I never really thought that Mann got to the heart of their relationship and the exposition that's given on this three way dynamic feels like it comes in the complete wrong order. I was just waiting for characters to find out information I already knew and it just kills the pacing and any impact that these reveals could've had.

I never would've guessed that Ferrari was a long time passion project for Michael Mann because nothing in the final product gives any sense of a vision for this story. It's totally unimpressive on a script and technical level and the few effective moments and impressive race sequences aren't enough to save the total bore that Ferrari ended up being as a whole.

A Slow, Meandering & Yawn-Inducing Sports Biopic

[CinemaClown · 11 February 2024]

A slow, meandering & yawn-inducing sports biopic about the Italian automotive mogul whose family name has been synonymous with speed, power & luxury, Ferrari intends to showcase the personal struggles & professional crisis of a man trying to keep his auto empire afloat only to end up halfway on both fronts. Lacking in horsepower, flat in structure, devoid of a well-oiled engine & also short of a full tank, Michael Mann's latest swerves & steers with no confidence, has no momentum or sense of direction, fails to create any adrenaline-fuelled moments even when the race is on, and is further marred by cold, distant & over-the-top performances, thus finishing as a bland & forgettable outing altogether.

Everyone Versus Ferrari

[boblipton · 7/10 · 25 December 2023]

It's 1957 and Enzo Ferrari, as portrayed by Adam Driver, has a lot on his mind. His wife (Penelope Cruz) is mad with grief over the death of their son; his mistress, Shailene Woodley, wants him to acknowledge their son so he can be confirmed; he's hired a new driver after the last one got himself killed, and he's distracted by his movie-star girlfriend; and his accountant informs him he is broke and he needs to get a wealthy corporate partner, which he can only do if one of his cars wins the thousand-mile Mille Miglia. Also, Orsi over at Maserati is in precisely the same position and seems to have a better team of racers.

Michael Mann is not known for character studies. His subject is the glitzy world and its seamy side, so this movie about Ferrari is a natural fit. The script makes it clear what his multitudinous problems are, and they keep increasing throughout the movie, while Adam Driver lets down his guard with no one one, and Miss Cruz gets to have the emotional fireworks. I am not fond of movies about racing, since most of the character development seems to consist of men in car moving gear controls and the audio engineer choosing vroom-vroom sounds from their audio libraries. However, this movie makes clear that Ferrari's one real passion is racing cars, and it's a series of real crises that he has to overcome. Considering the negligible story content of so many of this year's "For your consideration" titles, I'll say that it's easily worth your time in the theater seat.

Feels unnecessary

[Erebus77498 · 6/10 · 15 March 2024]

I'm a big fan of racing and if you're a fan of racing you're invariably a fan of Ferrari. So when Michael Mann helms the Enzo Ferrari biopic, there will be expectations.

Unfortunately this presentation is uninspired. I really don't agree with the casting choice of Adam Driver for Enzo Ferrari. The only thing the two men have in common is seemingly height. Driver exudes an energy that is not the neurotic Italian man that is the brains behind Ferrari. The essence of Ferrari and Italia doesn't come across in a meaningful way. Driver possesses the menace that is Ferrari, but not much else.

A fan of classic automobiles will surely enjoy the various display of now unattainable rides in the movie though.

Not one of Michael Mann's best movies but still solid

[chenp-54708 · 6/10 · 20 December 2023]

Michael Mann is an interesting filmmaker as Mann is great at capturing crime, thrillers, and drama stories with strong atmospheres, direction, dialogue, and action. While not every movie he has made was great, I expect Mann to provide some strong directing and interesting action and thrill moments. I didn't love Ferrari as I would have wanted to but I still found it to be interesting.

Throughout, the camerawork and the production design is pretty good as the production and setting helps to capture the time period and environment. Many of the wide shots, the car moments, or scenes where tension, action, and racing occurs are well-executed as Mann never disappoints on crafting action and thrill scenes. Most of the performances are solid. Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari was pretty good but Penélope Cruz provided the best performances as she had great emotions, personality and chemistry with her role. Including a good soundtrack.

The narrative explores more on the personal and professional struggles of Enzo Ferrari alongside with others around which is more slow-burn then action. The narrative is interesting as I enjoyed the concepts and themes the story explores. But at the same time I wished certain concepts could have been explored or handled differently. The characters, while slightly dull at times, were interesting in exploring the personal dynamics and personalities of each one's own. Some have criticized Driver's accent for being pretty bad but I personally didn't mind it since it wasn't on the level of House of Gucci awful.

The dialogue is pretty good but there were some clunky dialogue moments. Throughout, the movie had a good atmosphere, color presentation and sound design. There are some pretty bad uses of CGI effects. Despite some of the gripes, I was still invested to see where the movie was heading.

Overall, it's not Michael Mann's best movie but it was nice to see Michael Mann doing another project after his previous work in 2015.

Misleading

[loreafuentesa · 6/10 · 19 March 2024]

As I saw on a YouTube video, when you are told you are going to watch a movie about Enzo Ferrari, you might think it will explain where did his car obsession come from, what happened to him after his son died, what was his rivalry with Maserati about, how did he manage to make such luxurious and aspirational cars. Sadly, none of these topics are addressed in this movie.

Although he was an interesting businessman, we seldom see anything behind his success. The movie only offers us some soap opera drama.

The acting is bland and the plot line lacks development. I was expecting so much more from this and I got white disappointed.

Nice to have Michael Mann back

[masonsaul · 8/10 · 26 December 2023]

Ferrari chooses a very interesting and kinda unconventional part of the true story to adapt. Instead of going for a conventional underdog story it's a much more intense, more interesting film that shows how masculinity and ambition desensitise someone to the tragedy that surrounds them.

Adam Driver delivers a performance that may not be in the upper tier of his work but this is still terrific stuff, and the accent is better here than in House of Gucci. His inability to process his own grief hangs over the whole film, the fact that he couldn't fix it clearly eats at him all the time and the one outburst it builds to is glorious.

Penélope Cruz is given a role that is usually pretty thankless in this genre and does so much. She is terrifying without saying a word and holds a lot of power. Shailene Woodley on the other hand, isn't given much to do and her accent isn't consistent and yet she's still good enough to prevent that from being a major distraction.

Michael Mann's direction gets just as close to the racing as it does to Adam Driver's stern face. The racing sequences themselves are electric, by getting as close as possible, the speed and danger are definitely felt. It all culminates in a horrifying crash in which the lack of sound makes it even more impactful.

Great acting elevates a decent script.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 9 January 2024]

With Ferrari on the brink of bankruptcy, Enzo Ferrari has a plan to reignite The Company's fortunes.

The trailers definitely made me want to watch this film, and whilst I quite enjoyed it, I really wanted it to be so much better than it was.

At times, I found it quite slow, some of the scenes could have easily been edited down, there's atmosphere, and then there's drawn out, it's clunky in parts, the story takes a while to come to life.

The racing sequences however are terrific, they look so authentic, that crash scene, amazing.

Gorgeous visuals, it very much put me in mind of House of Gucci, stylish, well filmed, and jaw dropping style. If you love classic and vintage cars, there's a whole lot to enjoy here.

Modena looks divine, and if you're able to, please visit, it is an exquisite place.

Adam Driver does a good job, as does Penelope Cruz, credit to the makeup artists, they made Driver look way older than 40.

It's good, deserved to be excellent.

6/10.

Very disappointing

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 4/10 · 7 January 2024]

This felt sadly dreadful to me, for the most part. Ferrari is a film where it feels like very few people involved cared about what they were making. On paper, the idea to focus on one brief period of time was a good one, rather than trying to capture a single figure's life story. Adam Driver is probably my favorite actor who's risen to prominence since 2010, and Michael Mann's a filmmaker whose work I generally enjoy. The idea of them teaming up to make a movie sounded promising, but the execution here was just lifeless and strangely amateur.

Much of the film's shot with a floaty, aimless camera that frames things strangely in an attempt to look unique, or because of simple incompetence; the way it sometimes shakes and drifts or zooms in and out seemingly by accident. The fact some scenes abruptly end and other scenes just linger for what feels like forever. I hated the way this looked and felt. I have no idea what Mann's going for here, or if he's simply lost his touch as a filmmaker.

Actors look either confused or bored - sometimes both - for the entire film. I have no idea what I'm supposed to care about when it comes to Enzo Ferrari as a figure. Maybe Adam Driver captured his essence well, but if so, his essence is boring and I don't know why they made a film about him. There's no real pacing or engaging build in the narrative, actors mumble their lines, and the dialogue I could make out tended to sound weirdly uninspired. Penelope Cruz felt like she was done particularly dirty by the lackluster material she was given to work with. It just felt like one boring scene after one boring scene after another boring scene.

The final act is watchable and saves the film from being an outright failure. Ferrari has a stupidly high budget, but I think much of it went into capturing some of those fairly stunning race sequences. Everything else was so dull, lifeless, directionless, and shockingly amateur, though. It's a surprising mess of a film.

7 1/2 stars, really... Penelope Cruz was amazing!

[Cacahuate86 · 8/10 · 24 October 2023]

Saw this at the Viennale in Vienna today.

Penelope Cruz is a gem as Laura. Woodley somehow plays the same character in everything she's cast in. I think she's got talent, but how can you tell at this point? Driver was okay. The bad accents by the American actors took a while getting used to, but at 135min, there is plenty time for that.

The real stars were the cars and the driving scenes of course - and they were absolutely stunning!

I'm not a big action movie person, but these scenes were so well done, I'd get into the Fast & Furious franchise if it was done by this crew.

As far as the story goes: it's well done, there is enough meat there in Enzo's personal life and the goings-on around the infamous '57 Mille Miglia that audiences who aren't only going for the car race will be satisfied.

But Penelope Cruz carries the non-car-stuff on her shoulders, really. She's a powerhouse actress and for some reason I seem to forget it time and time again until I see another movie with her in it and am surprised at how good she is. I shouldn't be surprised - nobody should be. She's always great... but here, she's at the top of her game.

The movie was a pleasant surprise, would recommend it to anyone, racing cars fans and not.

[pandmn · 7/10 · 5 February 2024]

The movie was a pleasant surprise, 7.5/10.

The storyline was only for a small part of Enzo Ferrari's intriguing life and this is something that I liked a lot. All the events shown in the movie took place over a period of some months. It included the car races, family drama and the effort for the survival of the Ferrari company.

The acting was great. Enzo was a unique and complex personality and the acting was certainly of great difficulty, Adam Driver did a great performance and conveyed all the emotional states of his character. Penelope Cruz as Laura Ferrari was outstanding too.

The directing from Michael Mann was really good, I liked the pace of the movie and the result on the screen, it kept my attention in the whole duration, all the sets in Italy were beautifully shown and the racing scenes were iconic, you could feel the high speeds, all the suspense and the great danger that it has.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie a lot and would recommend it to anyone, racing cars fans and not.

The quote that I will remember from this movie is when Enzo Ferrari says "Jaguar races only to sell cars. I sell cars only to be racing.". I think this summarizes what the movie is all about.

This movie has some serious flaws...

[imseeg · 5/10 · 22 December 2023]

Definitely NOT a car movie and definitely NOT a gripping dramatic portrayal either. It's not a flop alright, but it is an awkward misfire for sure.

The bad: Director Michael Mann is famous for several terrific action thrillers in the past (HEAT), but he has never excelled at making a true drama (on the contrary) and this is the exact problem with this movie, because it is severely LACKING in true drama.

It's lackluster, uneventful and simply going through the motions. Almost the entire storyline is about money problems for producing racecars and lots of wife / lover quarrels / issues. What's suppose to be exciting about that?!

Not even the car races (the few that were featured) were thrilling to watch. Those races didnt look bad for sure, but they werent exhilirating either. Quite average to be honest. Was this a car movie? NOPE it was NOT.

What is it then? This story is entirely focussed on the CHARACTER of Mister Ferrari, played by Adam Driver. I really value this actor's performance in many other great movies, he's definitely a great actor, but he didnt nail it this time. And I am being really polite now...

BEWARE: use subtitles because director Michael Mann decided to let all the ITALIAN characters speak in almost unrecognizable English with a terrible accent. THAT was THE most annoying thing, that really PUT ME OFF entirely. What jibberish accents.

Not a total flop, but an awkward misfire of a drama for sure...

Beautifully shot, a bit of a slog

[rham-975-644917 · 6/10 · 12 December 2023]

The racing sequences are amazing (especially the sound), but the crashes were obviously staged by someone why doesn't understand how cars crash (wildly exaggerated). Penelope Cruz is a revelation and steals every scene she's in. Adam Driver requires you constantly suspend your disbelief (his acting is fine, he just doesn't look anything like Enzo - hard to understand how he was cast - I kept seeing Kylo Ren). This isn't a bad movie, but it's a melodrama about Enzo and his Wife/Mistress/Son/business, not a movie about racing. Unfortunately that melodrama isn't presented in a compelling, gripping manner. It's unfortunate, as they obvs had a ton of budget. It is GORGEOUS to look at!

Spectacular Crash Scene

[stevendbeard · 7/10 · 21 December 2023]

I saw Ferrari, starring Adam Driver-House of Gucci, the Star Wars movies; Penelope Cruz-The 355, Murder on the Orient Express_2017; Shailene Woodley-Dumb Money, the Divergent movies and Patrick Dempsey-Thanksgiving, Grey's Anatomy_tv.

This movie is based on a true story about Enzo Ferrari and his car company. It's directed by Michael Mann and Adam plays Enzo, with Penelope as his wife. Adam and Penelope started the company but after 10 years, were facing bankruptcy because Adam was spending more money than he was making. They lost a son to a disease and Adam took a mistress, Shailene, which caused problems with Penelope, of course. The only way Adam could get any financial help for his company was to win a 1,000 mile race called The Mille Miglia, which was across Italy. Patrick plays a driver for Adam's racing team. FYI: Patrick even bleached his hair white for the part. I'm not a big racing fan but I must say that the crash near the end of the film was pretty spectacular. People in the theater were gasping when it happened and it not only killed the driver but 9 spectators-I don't know how it was done but it looked realistic.

It's rated R for violence, graphic images, language and sexual content-including partial nudity-and has a running time of 2 hours & 10 minutes.

It's not one that I would buy on DVD but if you are a racing fan, it would be a good one to stream.

Adam Driver's masterclass

[DanLawson146 · 7/10 · 30 December 2023]

POSITIVES:

1) Adam Driver is incredible here. He really carries the whole film by appearing in almost every scene and giving a really masterful performance. It should be said that the supporting cast are also very good 2) The driving scenes are filmed very well by Mann who doesn't try and make them too glossy. They're loud and intense and have you gripping your seat. I was also extremely shocked, in a good way, by how he filmed the major accident towards the end 3) I really liked the fact that the film wasn't a traditional biopic that attempted to tell the entire life story of Enzo Ferrari. Instead, it focuses only on one summer in 1957. Having this narrow minded focus made it much easier to engage with what was happening because the time frame wasn't constantly changing like it does in most biopics

NEGATIVES:

1) One downside of the film focusing on only one isolated period is that the ending feels quite abrupt, because there are so many loose threads left unresolved that we have to get some text on screen at the end to explain what happens 2) There were multiple occasions where the fake Italian accents of the actors noticeably slipped somewhat 3) The first hour or so of the film I found to be quite a slog. There's a lot of stage setting for things to come and also lots of introductions to side characters who don't really become memorable and lead to lots of instances where I was losing track of who was who.

Average experience

[akshatmahajan · 6/10 · 26 March 2024]

I was expecting this movie to be like other car- racing movies like Fore V Ferrari but the movie didn't turn out as it was expected.

The story should have been focused on bad times of Ferrari but it was mostly focused on Adam's character for a particular year, the screenplay was uneven, the direction was average and the performances were also average as everyone seemed exhausted.

The story could have been worked out and the execution could have been much better as the end result was just a purposeless movie with no outcome.

Overall, watching it was an average experience and this movie doesn't have much to offer.

Stylish biopic with strong characters and great performances

[rakeshroy31 · 9/10 · 15 October 2023]

Watched Ferrari on the closing night of NYFF 61. Great to see the return of Michael Mann after 8 years.

Tells the story of Enzo Ferrari and the world of Italian fast car racing both from a personal and professional angle. The glamour of fast cars and their fearless drivers juxtaposed against the mortal risk they take as they try to excel in their field.

The personal life to Enzo trying to balance his powerful and strong wife Laura played by Penelope and his love and mother of his surviving son Lina played by Shailene is a treat to watch. Strong performances from all the 3 leads and a special callout for Penelope for her portrayal of Laura.

It's a good film but marketing campaign needed a revision

[rizwanmiah · 7/10 · 22 March 2024]

This film contains one of the funniest, most contrived deaths of all time for a character with less than one minute of screen time. There is no way it went down like that.

Adam Driver & Penélope Cruz put it good performances. The rest of the cast are fine and do the job. The drivers aren't developed that well which makes it hard to connect with them while racing, raising the stakes.

This film contains two plots: securing the win at the Mille Miglia for recognition and marketability so the company doesn't go backrupt, and Enzo Ferrari's lineage steming from his estranged wife and mistress. The latter plot line taking a majority of the runtime which isn't bad but the film is marketed as a racing film.

If you are looking for a racing film, I would recommend Le Mans '66, Rush and even Gran Turismo because this film is more of a dive into Enzo Ferrari's personal life and less exotic, heart-pumping racing.

The trailer gave way too much away revealing key moments and some of the best scenes. The CGI is easily spotted and did take me out the film during crucial moments.

If you are interested in learning about Enzo Ferrari's career and life during this period and if you're a fan of Adam Driver then it's an easy recommendation since it's a good film on those fronts but I was left desiring better constructed racing sequences to elevate this film.

Average at best

[achinnick · 5/10 · 10 January 2024]

Watched this and thought to myself wonder what budget was used, after finding out it cost 96 million I have to question where all the money went. The storyline drags and is very boring, some of the car scenes look terrible and most of the acting is very average.

It is very weird to make a movie about Enzo and only include a tiny piece of his life, there was a lot more to this man than one race and a love child. So much more in his life that would have made sense to make a movie about.

I really question sometimes movie studios and who makes the decisions on what to spend money on. In particular the car accident scenes are woeful, $96 mil and this is what they came up with? Pretty sure if you gave me that much I could make a better movie.

Nice mixture of car racing and family drama can entertain assortment of viewers. Beforehand I was afraid that car racing would use up most running time, but I stand corrected

[JvH48 · 8/10 · 16 November 2023]

Saw this at the 2023 filmfestival Ghant (Belgium). Obviously, the main topic is cars and car races, but there is also a mixture of family drama (illegitimate son versus son of current wife who thus gave him an alternative heir, woman with money prepared to invest, and so on) to make it compatible for family viewing. Actually, you can consider it two films, nicely intermixed with another. The car race fans will find plenty to watch, and the rest of the film moves the family story forward. Implicitly we know that the story ends well; this is no spoiler, given that the name Ferrari still exists as a car brand.

Nice details in abundance. Drivers can have girlfriends who either distract or stimulate. When drivers bring their girlfriends along, the press tends to ignore the cars and focus on the women, to the dismay of Ferrari. He asks a journalist to bring a rumor in the world, letting him also mention in the same article that he firmly denies it, playing the cards for a business deal. And there is his wife with independent means and lots of money to spare, who has her own set of requirements when willing to invest in the company.

All in all, I did not regret booking tickets, although I feared beforehand that car races would be the main course on the menu. My fears were unjustified. There is ample family and relational drama to keep everyone's attention, and the car races do not distract but enhance the experience.

Soap and Cars

[RoundTripTicket · 6/10 · 5 January 2024]

What makes Enzo Ferrari an interesting person? His singular focus on designing and building race cars, selecting the best drivers, his ability to inspire his factory team to build fast and beautiful cars, and his ability to inspire his drivers to win.

So what do we get with the Ferrari movie? We get mostly a soap opera about his dead son, his illegitimate son, his philandering, his frustrated mistress, his betrayed wife, and his mother who wished her other son was the one that survived. We even get a sermon from a priest.

I.e. A soap opera.

Nothing about that is of any interest, as probably half of your acquaintances have a similar story to tell, and a very large number of movies address the same topic.

Who would go to a movie about Enzo Ferrari to learn about his soapy personal life? Not me.

I want to know about the cars, the drivers, the technology, and how Enzo managed all this to make the finest, most beautiful cars in the world.

The good parts of the movie are the racing scenes, and the oh-so-beautiful cars and the thrilling song of their engines. "Ferrari" would be a better movie if it left all the soap on the cutting room floor, but sadly a much shorter movie.

Driver doesn't convince as the legendary Ferrari.

[kgprophet · 5/10 · 10 January 2024]

There are a couple films that come to mind when trying to judge how good Ferrari was. The first is "Napoleon". It is another biography that came out around the same time as this film. Each film needs the main character to capture the audience's interest. For both films, the dysfunctional marital relationship was a major narrative. Because of Joaquin Phoenix's legacy of gripping roles ("Joker"), he successfully embodied the main character. The film suffered for other reasons, but it kept my interest. "Ferrari" cast Adam Driver as the main character. I first saw Driver in "Midnight Special" as a quirky and interesting scientist. I really like Driver, and thought he was a good fit as the bad guy in the new Star Wars movies. However, I think someone else would have been a better fit as Ferrari. Driver doesn't exude power and leadership like the role needed. Someone who is bit older and more fits the physique. If this was made 10 years ago, someone like Christian Bale would've been a good fit.

The other film I can't help but compare "Ferrari" to is "Ford vs. Ferrari". Although it came out four years prior to this film, it is recent enough to gauge what is a better film about racing. "Ferrari" never pretended to be about racing, it is a biography of the man. Meanwhile "Ford vs Ferrari" is about racing. The movie centered more on the cars than the people. In "Ferrari", care is taken to give many of the supporting characters some depth. The downside is that the majority of the film focuses more on the people than the machines. For that reason, I preferred "Ford vs Ferrari". In truth that film features very little of Ferrari other than being the rival for Ford.

On the flipside, the driving scenes in the "Ferrari" are very dynamic without being gimmicky, and are a feast of sight and sound. The cinematography does a good job showing us vintage Italy. The dialogue could be cringe-worthy if one cared to scrutinize the Italian accents. In general, when rating this Micheal Mann film, I thought of "Public Enemies". That film follows John Dillinger, but has a different tone than this. Sadly, the tone here is very mild for "Ferrari", and the whole is not greater than the sum of the parts. This is mostly evident in the climax, in which no swelling of emotion takes place, at least not as intended. I give it a 5 out of 10.

good biopic

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 29 January 2024]

In 1947, Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) and his wife Laura Ferrari (Penélope Cruz) started their auto company. It's 10 years later. Husband and wife are still co-owners of the company which needs investment from one of the big car companies. They're in a battle with Maserati. Their marriage is in far worst shape after the death of their only son. Enzo and his mistress Lina Lardi (Shailene Woodley) have a secret son. Lina needs Enzo to acknowledge and give their son his last name.

It's a biopic directed by Michael Mann. There is a duel between Enzo's personal life and professional life. This is not just the standard sports biopic or business biopic or a family biopic. It is a mix of all of that and more. Some of it does lose focus. I myself find the family drama very compelling. The racers get a bit lost although Mann has a great eye for racing action. All in all, this is a very good watch.