Ferrari (2023 film)

Ferrari (2023 film)
Ferrari is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Michael Mann and written by Troy Kennedy Martin. Based on the 1991 biography Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine by motorsport journalist Brock Yates, the film follows the personal and professional struggles of Enzo Ferrari, the Italian founder of the car manufacturer Ferrari S.p.A., during the summer of 1957. Adam Driver portrays the titular subject, and co-stars Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Sarah Gadon, Gabriel Leone, Jack O'Connell, and Patrick Dempsey.
Ferrari was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered on August 31, 2023. It is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 25, 2023, by Neon.
Plot
During the summer of 1957, Enzo Ferrari, reeling from the death of his son Dino, the deteriorating marriage with his wife Laura, and his company's impending bankruptcy, enters his racing team to the 1957 Mille Miglia.
Cast
Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari
Penélope Cruz as Laura Ferrari
Shailene Woodley as Lina Lardi
Sarah Gadon as Linda Christian
Gabriel Leone as Alfonso de Portago
Jack O'Connell as Peter Collins
Patrick Dempsey as Piero Taruffi
Michele Savoia as Carlo Chiti
Erik Haugen as Edmund "Gunner" Nelson
Ben Collins as Stirling Moss
Andrea Dolente as Gino Rancati
Giuseppe Bonifati as Giacomo Cuoghi
Daniela Piperno as Adalgisa Ferrari
Tommaso Basili as Gianni Agnelli
Production
Michael Mann first began exploring making the film around 2000, having discussed the project with Sydney Pollack. In August 2015, Christian Bale entered negotiations to star as Ferrari. Filming was planned to begin in summer 2016 in Italy. In October 2015, Paramount Pictures bought the worldwide distribution rights for the film. Bale exited the film in January 2016 over concerns of meeting the weight requirements for the role before the start of production. The project stalled until April 2017, when Hugh Jackman entered negotiations to portray Ferrari, and Noomi Rapace as his wife with Paramount no longer involved. The project would again go dormant until June 2020. Mann and Jackman were still attached, with Rapace no longer involved and with STX International taking over international distribution. Filming was set to begin in April 2021.
In February 2022, Jackman had since left the film, with Adam Driver now starring as Ferrari. Penélope Cruz and Shailene Woodley also joined the cast. At the same time, STXfilms also secured domestic distribution rights for the film with a theatrical release planned. In July, Gabriel Leone, Sarah Gadon, Jack O'Connell and Patrick Dempsey were added to the cast. Pre-production began in April 2022, with filming originally set to commence in July in Modena.
Principal photography began on August 17, 2022, in Italy. Filming occurred in Brescia in early October. Production of the film wrapped in late October 2022.
Release
A first-look was released in October 2022, with two pictures. The film had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2023.
Originally scheduled to be released by STX in the United States, North American distribution rights to the film were acquired by Neon in July 2023, following a bidding war which also included A24 and an unnamed streaming service, and dated for wide theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2023.
The film is scheduled to be released on Sky Cinema and Now in the United Kingdom in 2023 with STX retaining all other international rights.
Reception
Critical response
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 73% of 45 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Sleek and well-acted, Ferrari overcomes its occasionally underpowered narrative to deliver a rousing and admirably complex biopic." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Marlow Stern of Rolling Stone praised Penélope Cruz's performance, writing: "There is an unstoppable force at the center of Michael Mann’s Ferrari. It is fast, fierce, and wildly unpredictable. One moment it has you in the throes of ecstasy; the next, fearing for your life. And when you see it coming around the bend, it’s curtains. Don’t even bother putting up a fight. You’ll lose. I’m talking, of course, about Penélope Cruz".
Damon Wise of Deadline Hollywood was more critical of Adam Driver's performance, stating: "Given what's at stake [in the film], a strangely unemotional lead performance from Adam Driver makes it hard to warm to this odd and deeply self-absorbed character. Add in the glacial pace of its narrative, and a film expected to take an early awards-season lead will struggle to hold that pole position."
Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino criticized the film for casting American actors to portray Italian characters, instead of Italian actors.
Accolades
References
External links
2023 films
2023 biographical drama films
2020s American films
2020s English-language films
American auto racing films
American biographical drama films
Biographical films about businesspeople
Ferrari
Films based on biographies
Films directed by Michael Mann
Films produced by Michael Mann
Films scored by Daniel Pemberton
Films set in 1957
Films set in Italy
Films shot in Lombardy
Films with screenplays by Troy Kennedy Martin
Neon (company) films
STX Entertainment films
Enzo Ferrari
Film controversies in Italy
Casting controversies in film