Review: ‘Ford V Ferrari’ Is An Instant Best Picture Contender

One of the year’s top awards contenders raced into theaters full throttle this weekend, as Disney-Fox’s Ford v Ferrari scored the top spot at the box office and a rare perfect grade from audiences.

With a likely $30+ million domestic bow, Ford v Ferrari also earned a remarkable A+ grade from audiences via Cinemascore. That means the opening estimates could very well climb higher today and into Sunday, as word of mouth drives higher attendance. It also signals a high final multiplier, with the film likely to top $100 million domestically through the holidays, with Thanksgiving just around the corner.

Competition proved no match for the super-charged racing film this weekend, as Charlie’s Angeles and The Good Liar failed to keep pace with Ford v Ferrari. Both films will end their North American debuts with less than one-third of Ford v Ferrari’s take.

Ford v Ferrari received overwhelmingly positive critical reception, with a 92% score at Rotten Tomatoes reflecting not just universal recommendation but outright stellar acclaim. When audiences and critics all love a film this much and it opens at the top of the box office charts, that’s when positive reviews matter most, combining with audience recommendations to become “everyone says it’s great” must-see viewing.

Director James Mangold’s teaming with Oscar winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale is generating plenty of award season buzz, and looks to be a shoo-in for some acting nominations, a screenplay nomination, a director nomination, and nods for cinematography as well as both film and sound editing. Oh, and of course, Best Picture. The more talk there is about Ford v Ferrari’s awards potential, the more the film will reap benefits at the box office.

But with or without eventual award nominations or wins, Ford v Ferrari has already won over audiences, and it is their word of mouth that will keep this movie’s tank full all the way to the finish line. So, is Ford v Ferrari really as good as audiences and critics say it is? Yes, it most certainly is.

You don’t have to love Ford to cheer for Ford v Ferrari. Indeed, you don’t even have to like racing or cars to be thrilled by Ford v Ferrari. Films this good grab hold of your heart in their first instant and never let go.

The character-driven story is full of wonderful conflict, internal and external struggle, and redemption. The cars represent ambition, imagination, courage, and sheer force of will barreling along a path full of obstacles and opponents trying to crash the hopes and destinies of those who dare to dream big. The film is about escaping ourselves, transcending our earthly limitations, and appreciating small moments of mercy and grace that reveal themselves, as our lives rush by so fast it’s almost impossible to grab hold of anything tangible for very long.

The cast are all at the top of their game, which is why I suspect both Damon and Bale will receive Oscar nominations, albeit probably in different categories despite the fact they are really co-leads. Bale in particular transforms himself into Ken Miles so perfectly that you forget it’s Christian Bale and feel like you’re watching hidden camera footage of Miles. He is probably the biggest challenger to Joaquin Phoenix’s frontrunner performance in Joker. But don’t sleep on Damon’s charismatic turn as Carroll Shelby, his chemistry with Bale and his “idling at 5,000 rpms” work ethic serving as fuel that keeps the story running when everyone else seems at their breaking point.

The rest of the cast is full of standouts. Noah Jupe could be a dark horse candidate for Supporting Actor, striking a delicate balance between eagerly idolizing his father and perpetually fearful his father will die in front of him. Caitriona Balfe likewise terrifically balances varying degrees of loving support and stress over the prospect her husband might die in flames any day, in a role of more depth and impact than usual for the “dutiful spouse” role so common in films of this sort.

Josh Lucas frequently smirks and sneers his way into marvelous scene-stealing status as Leo Beebe, and Tracy Letts’ excellent performance as Henry Ford II is equal parts unexpectedly sympathetic and obtusely arrogant.

Ford v Ferrari is yet another glaring example disproving the perpetual myth that Hollywood doesn’t make adult dramas – and great ones, at that – anymore. It’s blockbuster-style filmmaking for an award season real-life drama. It’s a great winning combo that should appeal to just about everyone, in the best possible way.