June 16, 2023

The June Swoon 3 continues this Father’s Day with a biopic from last about Enzo Ferrari directed by Michael Mann.

According to IMDB, “Set during the summer of 1957. Ex-racecar driver, Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgement of another. He decides to counter his losses by rolling the dice on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the iconic Mille Migl!“

I have to say that I had a difficult time getting into this movie. I just did not relate to Ferrari and what he was going through and I found it to be fairly dull for a good chunk of the movie. Adam Driver is an excellent actor, but I just did not find his performance here electric.

That does not go for Penelope Cruz, however. She was amazing in her role as Ferrari’s grieving wife Laura. Every moment Cruz is on screen, she is totally vibrant and dominant. Penelope Cruz is absolutely the best part of this movie.

The racing screens were decent too. The couple of crash sequences were terrifying and filled the film with stakes. The second half of Ferrari was more interesting to me, even if I was not engaged with the character of Enzo Ferrari.

The film did feel long to me, which only played into my lack of engagement with the movie.

Again, Penelope Cruz is exceptional in her performance and electrifies everything around her. Unfortunately, that electricity does not crossover to the rest of the film.