Racing Ahead with “Ford v. Ferrari”

by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 28, 2019

DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: 4 stars out of 5

DisneyBizJournal.com Box Office Rating:  $$ out of $$$$

Forget about Fast and Furious. If you want to see some high-speed cinema, check out Ford v. Ferrari.

And even better, while the Fast and Furious franchise is about over-the-top fantasy, Ford v. Ferrari is rooted in the true story of how Ford challenged Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1966. And while Ford v. Ferrari truly excels in its many scenes of racing and testing cars, this ultimately is a story about friendship, family, and overcoming personal and corporate challenges.

Matt Damon shines as the famed driver and car designer Carroll Shelby, as does Christian Bale as driver Ken Miles. But Ford v. Ferrari also offers fine supporting performances, including Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca, Caitriona Balfe as Mollie Miles, and Noah Jupe as Peter Miles.

For good measure, while Ford v. Ferrari offers the expected moments of reaching competitive heights on the racetrack, it does not shy away from powerful character moments. In that sense, it is full storytelling on the big screen.

Unfortunately, Ford v. Ferrari, a Disney 20^thCentury Fox production, has under-performed at the box office. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, Ford v. Ferrari carried a production budget of $97.6 million, and as of November 28, generated $108.5 million in revenue.

Perhaps there will be some nominations at Oscar time that will give this worthy movie an extra boost at the box office.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.