Ford v Ferrari ★★★1/2

Reviewed by Max Minardi,

Let's get one thing clear. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a race. It's also a really long race. It's 24 hours long and drivers switch off every few hours. I am not a car guy and did not know this going in. So if you're a nerd like me, now you know.

Ford v Ferrari is a movie that can be watched in a number of different ways. On one hand, if you want to go in and purely enjoy this from a "macho/car/dude/ICan'tRelateToMyDadSoWeWatchCarMoviesInstead" angle, you can do so. The race sequences are full of adrenaline and action and even for a guy like myself, when the races started, I perked up. There's a ton of mumbo jumbo about engine stuff and how brake assemblies are or are not parts, how tubes can help you see why a car is slow, and why a car's height matters. None of this REALLY matters to the under standing of this movie but if you're into that sort of thing, this movie delivers.

On the other hand, this is a movie rich with cinematography, story beats and performances that, while not new, ain't nothing to shake a frog fur-covered stick at. Bale and Damon deliver performances that keep the viewer interested while the movie is onscreen and don't weigh heavy after the viewer leaves the theater. While this might come off as a slight, I actually think this works to the film's benefit. It's nice to leave a theater these days with an enclosed experience. I didn't find myself trying to figure out what Matt Damon might be doing in the NEXT movie which was incredibly refreshing.

On that note, it's nice to see this movie in theaters. By that, I don't mean you have to see it IN theaters (this movie might even be better while on in the background on a lazy Sunday afternoon), I mean that it's nice to see a movie like this one doing well in theaters. This isn't a sequel, a remake, a superhero origin story, or a film that cares much that's it's being released in 2019. It's just a perfectly adequate, semi-biopic original film from a competent director who is extremely adroit at working with what he's got. 

Ford v Ferrari is a solid movie that will be discussed over many a holiday eggnog and will surely have some mention at the Oscars, but this time next year will be running at 7,000rpm in the 4pm Tuesday slot on TNT squished comfortably in between Budweiser and Ford commercial. And I think that's just fine.