Ferrari Premiered At Venice Film Festival, And Opinions Are Split About Adam Driver’s Biopic
Michael Mann's long-time passion project finally hit the big screen.
Ferrari has been a long time coming for Michael Mann. The director reportedly started looking into adapting Brock Yates’ 1991 book Enzo Ferrari — The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine back at the turn of the 21st century, and not only did he lose Christian Bale as the lead in 2016, but his replacement Hugh Jackman dropped out in 2022. At long last Ferrari, starring Adam Driver, premiered on August 31 at Venice Film Festival, and those who were able to screen the movie are weighing in on Mann’s longtime passion project.
As can be expected from Michael Mann, Ferrari features an A-list cast, and along with Adam Driver as Enzo Ferrari, we will see Penélope Cruz as his wife, Shailene Woodley as his longtime mistress, a white-haired Patrick Dempsey, Sarah Gadon, and Jack O'Connell. The critics seem split following the film’s Venice premiere, so let’s take a look at what they have to say.
Critics Praise Michael Mann’s Ferrari As ‘High-Intensity’ And ‘Impactful’
David Rooney of THR says Adam Driver brings gravitas and intellect to his character, and Penélope Cruz provides passion in this “turbo-charged portrait.” The critic writes:
Stephanie Zacharek of Time says Michael Mann’s first flick since 2015’s Black Hat zooms along with sleek energy, and it’s exactly what you’d expect from the “vigorous” filmmaker. Zacharek also notes the movie’s masculinity, writing:
Siddhant Adlakha of Mashable calls the biopic “scattered but impactful,” creating a deft balance between the comedic and tragic. Adlakha commends Adam Driver’s performance, noting the subtlety he brings to character. In the critic’s words:
Not all of the critics had such a positive experience with Michael Mann's Ferrari, however.
Others Call Ferrari ‘Unessential’ And Point Out Unauthentic Italian Accents
Jane Crowther of GamesRadar rates the movie 3 stars out of 5, saying the film feels “unessential and uncharacteristic.” While still classically rendered, Crowther writes that Ferrari lacks a certain something under the hood to make it fly. In the critic’s words:
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Nicholas Barber of BBC says Ferrari is “stuck in the slow lane,” also noting that the Italian accents delivered by non-Italian actors is something that “probably should have been confined to a Super Mario Bros movie.” Barber continues:
The critics can’t come to a consensus on this one, but it’s worth noting that the positive-leaning assessments admitted to Ferrari having faults, and the negative-leaning critics all found some good in the movie. If this Adam Driver-led biopic from Michael Mann is one you’re looking forward to, you’ve unfortunately still got a while before its December 25 release to theaters. In the meantime, take a look at our 2023 movie release schedule to see what else is coming to the big screen.
Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.