Ferrari (2023) is directed by Michael Mann and stars Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Patrick Dempsey, Gabriel Leone, Giuseppe Bonifati, and Jack O’Connell. The film follows Enzo Ferrari (Driver) in the summer of 1957 as he attempts to save his auto empire from financial collapse by pushing his drivers to win the legendary Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile race across Italy. In his home life, Enzo struggles to keep his lover (Woodley) a secret from his wife, Laura (Cruz). This all occurs as the memory of Enzo’s late son hangs over his head.

Adam Driver is serviceable in the role of Enzo Ferrari but doesn’t do anything that blows a person out of the water. He looks impressive, wide shoulders and all, but the performance just never came through for me. Penelope Cruz is the standout here, conveying so much with just her eyes. She has a strong and unhinged nature that makes every one of her scenes feel like it’s packed with tension. Woodley is surprisingly weak here and feels woefully miscast. Her Italian accent is so horrendous that I couldn’t even tell what she was trying to do. Speaking of which, these Italian accents are one of the film’s bigger flaws. Excluding Woodley, most of them are believable. The thing is, the accents are so thick that I couldn’t often understand what anyone was saying. I found myself desiring subtitles. I wish they would’ve just taken a risk and had everyone speak real Italian. The rest of the cast is just completely forgotten about. So much so, that it was sometimes hard to tell certain characters apart. They are just used as tools to progress Enzo’s story. The only other notable performance would be Patrick Dempsey as one of Enzo’s drivers. It’s just a fun novelty to see him playing a spoiled Italian racecar driver.

This is unfortunately just a pretty standard and hollow biopic. I did appreciate the fact that this was a bit more focused compared to most biopics, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s focused on something particularly interesting. The characters are presented to have struggles/demons, but they aren’t struggles/demons we haven’t seen before. Nothing felt particularly new. Michael Mann is able to add some decent directorial flair, but not enough to improve the film in any significant way. This is the first film of his where I feel like he’s losing touch with the audience. Mann’s previous film Blackhat (2014) was just a clear misfire while Ferrari feels like a soulless effort. All of this being said, there are a few redeeming elements. 

The Italian setting is undeniably beautiful to look at, the racing sequences are decently intense, and most of the cinematography is top-notch. There is a good amount of shaky-cam used in the racing sequences, but I felt as if it increased the intensity as opposed to just giving me a headache. I also thought the film was pretty decently paced. It doesn’t overstay its welcome. That’s a big compliment in the age of 3 hours + biopics.  

Overall, this is one of those films that isn’t objectively terrible but likewise isn’t very memorable or entertaining to watch. If this receives any Oscar nominations, I’ll be very surprised. It’s just far too formulaic. I can only recommend this to people who are huge Ferrari fans or fans of this biopic structure in general. This is the perfect example of an “objectively great snoozefest.” C+