Lemme get this straight: this is a film which wants to portray Ford as an underdog. Ford. As in the Ford Motor Company, a beast that creates and sells millions of vehicles every year. An underdog. A plucky, seat-of-the-pants, fly-by-night, oh-if-they-could-only-catch-a-break underdog. Out of curiosity, what else do you find to be an underdog? Amazon.com? The Koch brothers? Donald J. Trump? Seriously, Ford does not need our sympathy.
Ah, but this isn’t about the underdogginess of Ford, per se. That part is simply expressed when angry zillionaire Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) “goes to war” because Enzo Ferrari (Remo Girone) called him “fat.” An ultra-wealthy man has a skin so thin he redirects massive amounts of money and energy into a personal war because somebody called him names … gee, where have I seen this before? Add to this the fact that Ford v Ferrari is yet another unapologetic and unnecessary tribute to the ultimate ritual of fossil fuel waste (auto racing) and it seems, IMHO, this film started this film well behind the pit crew, dig?
Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) had to put his racing career on the shelf because of a heart condition. Ken Miles (Christian Bale) had to put his racing career on the shelf because he’s an asshole. I’m not sure these men have a functioning heart between them, but they’re gonna have to shelve their pride to win the Ferrari-dominated 24 hours of LeMans on behalf of Henry Ford. And there’s your movie.
It really is quite a spectacle to see the unbridled impatience of Ford be satiated with the idea that his “failing” company will only survive if they just invest in LeMans, a 24-hour car race Americans don’t really care about and built for the kind of car Ford doesn’t sell. It’s like needing to prove you’re the best player in the NBA by winning the dunk contest. Nevermind. Thanks to the earworm provided by Lee Iacocca (Jon Bernthal) this became a 1960s obsession for Henry Ford.
The film is essentially about the relationship between Shelby, a man shrewd enough to handle both the bureaucracy of Ford Motors and the volatility of talented-but-difficult head case, and Ken Miles, the head case himself. Shelby keeps framed the wrench Miles hucks at him when pissed off about a rules violation. With a patient and mild twang, Damon is clearly channeling Tommy Lee Jones for this role. His opposite number, however, has responded with a bat-shit crazy routine. That’s not quite fair; I suppose we see a gamut of emotion from this British bulldog while attempting to placate his wife Mollie (Caitriona Balfe) and pre-teen son Peter (Noah Jupe). Worth note however, is that while Damon does Jones, Bale’s calm often sounds John Oliver. No serious character should ever sound like John Oliver.
Is Ford v Ferrari exciting? Unfortunately, yes. Is it easy to follow? Again, unfortunately yes. Will you sympathize with Shelby’s structured calm and Miles’ heat? Once again, unfortunately, yes. While I can happily remain unenthusiastic about Ford or car racing and even wonder when the “Ferrari v Ford” film comes out (seriously, shouldn’t Ferrari be the underdog? He’s the guy who went bust for his art. When you were growing up, did you have a poster of Ferrari next to Farrah Fawcett or a poster of a Ford Ranchero? – Yes, yes, I’m well aware of the Ford Mustang. Shut up.) Yet I sheepishly admit I enjoyed this film and wish no immediate ill upon it. I’m sorry; that’s the best I can do. I don’t care if BP dedicates every last shilling of its company fortunes to restoring the nature it destroyed; I will never be more than lukewarm about certain companies and Ford is among them.
While most auto dealers try to soak us
With their mumbo jumbo hocus pocus
Inspired by the racing
Only one order I’m placing
I will challenge limits with my brand-new Ford Focus
Rated PG-13, 152 Minutes
Director: James Mangold
Writer: Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller
Genre: Race! Race! Win!
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: My guess is anybody who actually knows when the 24 hours of LeMans happens.
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Probably me, but I ended up liking it anyway. Don’t read too much into that.
