About Fords Ferraris and Frigging Writing
Post 741:
It’s important to admit one’s bias, and I’m more than happy to disclose my own before commenting on Ford v Ferrari. As a Texan with Brit ancestry who loves cars and driving way too fast, I’m culturally and genetically predisposed to be all about a Texan and Brit teaming up to drive really fast.
Not getting to see this in the theater was a big mistake, but I was finally able to put my feet up and take it from the confines of my cell. I mean house.
As far as recommendations, see it if you haven’t. It’s a good old-fashioned movie. The story is simple. Go fast and win races despite the corporate overlords. What makes it special though, and sort of a throwback, are the characters.
We’ll focus on the two main dudes, Shelby and Miles, played respectively by Matt Damon and Christian Bale. I have to say Bale is frigging delightful, and I think Matt Damon who isn’t my fave even puts in a solid shift. Their relationship is the core of the movie, and they’re opposites. More or less. I repeat. More or less. Stories need characters with distinctive traits so they can be interesting playing off each other on screen or on the page, allowing drama and all that other crap, but…
Bad writing usually goes way over the top with these circumscribing traits. This is why you have tropes and memes and token characters in garbage movies and in garbage books. They are the result of laziness. The nerd. The jock. The woman who’s by-the-book. The no-nonsense boss. No, a token is not an archetype. Don’t get me started down that rabbit hole.
Ford v Ferrari takes a little more time and care to develop our main characters, so even though they remain on different poles when it comes to their dispositions, the lines are blurred because Shelby and Miles aren’t cardboard cutouts. They have depth and insight and complex flaws.
There’s a fight scene in the movie that sums up the relationship. It shows us that though they’re different, each man possesses a boy’s heart for abandon and adventure. The childish nature of the fight tells us that the dynamic is fraternal; in the end through all the arguments, they want the same things. If you’ve ever gotten beaten down by a sibling and ended up laughing halfway through it, that’s the idea.
It’s hard to make characters realistic without making them boring and forgettable, because real people are for the most part boring and forgettable. I’m number one on that list. We’re dangerously close to a Catch-22 situation here. Anyway, now we’re getting to the reason for those lazy tropes I was banging on about.
Mostly, it takes hard work. Couple things. If a person in your story has a certain quality, give them reasons for that quality. Layers. Add extra layers. Have them behave in a way contrary to their nature. It will improve the character and improve the story.
Easy to talk about, hard to do. Can’t force it. Can’t be quirky for quirkiness’ sake. Eh. Whatever. They get it right in Ford v Ferrari, so I figured I’d tip my hat and throw in all this extra about writing. It’s what I do. Check out the movie and see if what I’m saying makes sense or if I’m just a big dummy who needs the warden to take away my internet privileges. Cheers and see you after.
