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Today, Ferrari’s cars are seen as being among the best of the best. But in its early days, the company struggled to make ends meet. And director Michael Mann’s biopic Ferrari explores a turbulent time for the company’s founders—both professionally and personally.
Ferrari stars Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, who finds his 10-year-old company in danger in the summer of 1957. He’s advised that the only way to keep the company from bankruptcy is to find outside investors—and the only way to attract outside investors is to be the very best. But as he prepares his racing team for an all-important 1,000-mile race through Italy, he faces personal challenges, too. And when his wife and business partner, Laura (Penélope Cruz), finds out about Enzo’s long-time mistress and son, it threatens both his marriage and their business.
Although everything that he and Laura have built together suddenly seems to be crumbling around him, Enzo never loses his air of confidence and control. This isn’t Adam Driver’s best performance, but his character is certainly fascinating. Enzo is strong and bold—and often ruthless, too, pushing his racers to do whatever it takes to win. But it’s Penélope Cruz who steals the film with her performance as Laura Ferrari. She may be a grieving mother who’s well aware of her husband’s infidelity, but she doesn’t shrink back into the shadows and let life go on around her. From her very first scene, when she aims a pistol at her cheating husband, she takes control of every situation—whether that means uncovering the truth about her husband’s relationships or handling the company’s finances—and you can’t help but admire her strength and her fire.
Director Michael Mann takes these two characters and turns their story into something that’s both moody and stylish, blending the thrill—and tragedy—of car racing with the drama of a troubled marriage to tell a story about mothers and sons, husbands and wives. At times, though, it feels rather murky, as if he expected viewers to know the characters and their stories before sitting down to watch the film. And the storytelling’s shorthand ultimately makes the film feel somewhat incomplete.
Ferrari explores the story of a man who didn’t always play by the rules—both in his business and in his personal life. But the star of this biopic isn’t really Enzo Ferrari but the woman who took control of the situation from behind the scenes.
You can follow Enzo’s mission to keep his company on top when Ferrari races into theaters on Christmas Day, 2023.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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