11/13/19 - Ford v Ferrari (2019) - 5+/10

I wrestled with how to describe this film, but I can’t say that engendered an intensity positively nor negatively; it is simply just...fine. Mostly pretty plain, though tightly made with an air of easy enjoyability throughout, but I  kind of thought it was uninteresting. Serviceably made, but not sure that it took any chances, really energized my experience or that I cared that much, and I certainly was not the target audience. This flick, perfectly fine, was not for me...but 50 yr old dads will LOVE IT!

Bale is subdued but good. He  is so present and proficient, keeping his edge but still being personable. Damon is putting on an, at times, a ridiculous Southern/Texan affectation, but he is a quality actor. Really, this is a film of likeable people that you root for against the hardship of fractured dreams or easy villains. The foreign Ferrari menace or the conniving Josh Lucas suit are simplistic and base antagonists. And our side characters of Jupes’ bright-eyed son, McKinnon’s steadfast business partner,  Bernthal’s savvy Lee Iacocca, and even Letts’ Ford II were smoothly oiled cogs that keep the engine ticking over.

It is a very male picture (many cars go vroom vroom very fast a lot with men measuring their RPenisMs against each other), but I was surprised at how restrained it is otherwise. The only female character being the protagonist’s wife (adroitly played by Balfe) is in a loving, sharing and fairly equal stable relationship. Despite all the testosterone, there isn’t really any sexuality of any kind. This is about men, cars, and business. I mean, I didn’t really care about it much on the whole, but it had a purity, focus and lack of exploitative elements that might have been in a similar film; that I respected.

The shots, compositions, cinematography, and editing were all pretty standard; nothing really sticking out or experimenting. It was solid, but I would have appreciated pushing those lanes it was cruising down. The sound I thought was mixed well, but the score didn’t stick out either.  I would say Polk Salad Annie’s constant usage has a way of positively earworming you. That is a clever and wise choice.

FvF is a finely crafted vaguely intermittently exciting sports car that I had no interest in driving. This ride was not meant for me and I had a tough time really appreciating it for what it wanted to do. I recognized the vaguely satisfying nature of its “get up and go”, but without the love for the vehicle, it was just a manner of getting from point A to point B for me, and that drive was a little too long and a little to average.