Ferrari
Adam Driver is surprisingly likable as Enzo Ferrari, a man who has two families, a distinct disregard for the safety of his drivers, and whos' company is about to go bust. Driver strides about Italy in fine Italian suits, waving away his problems somehow being charming and wanting you to root for him.
Penelope Cruz is the one we should be rooting for. She plays Ferrari's hot headed wife Laura. Devastated by the loss of her son Dino, which she blames Ferrari for, she tears into Ferrari every moment she gets, not even visiting Dinos grave at the same time as her husband. And that's even before she finds out he has had a secret family for years. You can almost understand why Ferrari finds peace in the quiet of his second home.Almost.
He also finds solace at the grave of his dead son. Trying to figure a way out of the situation he finds himself in, with one of the only people he can talk to, it's unfortunate that person is his dead child.
Cruz brings an energy and fire into every scene. She is unlike Shailene Woodley, who plays the miscast mistress, who provides Ferrari with an heir.Shailene is out of place amongst all these hot headed Italians, she seems more like she would be at home in a Texas farmhouse.
The real star of the movie is obviously the cars. I want to paint everything Ferrari red. The cars are beautiful, with their smooth curves and stunning colours, driving through the Italian countryside. You couldn't draw a more perfect picture.
The main event of the movie is a race .It has a brutal and catastrophic crash scene. One of the young Ferrari drivers fails to change his tyres and suffers a blow out, killing 9 spectators including children, and the driver himself. Ferrari is held responsible for another drivers death in the media, and the survival of his company in doubt. The winner does end up being a Ferrari car though, driven by Dr McDreamy himself, car lover and Le Man's driver in real life, Patrick Dempsey. With a shockingly white head of hair.
But surprisingly the Mille Miglia race is less interesting than watching Ferrari trying to save his company, thanks in most part to Adam Driver charismatic portrayal. Ferrari has bet his company on winning the race and proving Ferrari's are racing cars, not mass production vehicles. A national institution and worldwide recognisable name, it's almost unthinkable that the Ferrari brand could have gone bankrupt. It seems that Laura has brought the company to its knees when she cashes a $500,000 cheque which will bankrupt the company. Instead she uses the money to bribe the journalist blaming Ferrari for another drivers death, and also signs over her share of the company to Ferrari, thereby securing its future.
Her one condition, Ferrari can't give his name to the son he has been keeping secret. Ferrari reluctantly agrees. For in the end it's the cars that mean everything to him, and he would do anything for them. And we should be grateful he did, for who doesn’t love a Ferrari. Maybe Lamborghini.
