About Ferrari

Post 1482:

Storytelling is hard, no matter the form. Film, novels, songs, whatever, to make something entertaining and moving, it takes a huge amount of work and skill. Then there’s luck. The people you make it for may or may not receive the message the way you intended, no matter how pure and focused the intention. The director of Ferrari, Michael Mann, is a prime example. He’s obviously got the skill and the drive to fashion a great film. The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, and The Insider are all incredible movies that to this day hold up.

            And then there’s some others. For whatever reason, they didn’t hit the mark. My guess is that they looked good on paper and production but just didn’t turn out. Nobody wins them all.

            That brings us to his latest try, Ferrari. This is more like it. The story is about the complicated life of the famous Italian car designer. It does more than a few things well. We get to see a lot of great cars going fast. That’s good. But the heart of the thing revolves around his legacy, a legacy complicated by the fact that his only trueborn son tragically died before maturity.

            There’s a lot going on that I won’t spoil. I’ll say that the characters are well defined, the racing sequences look great, and Italy looks like Italy. Add in outstanding performances and you have a very engaging story about the toll success takes. Work and skill aren’t enough in life, you see. Sometimes you need some luck. And maybe a Ferrari if you can get your hands on one.

            Cheers and see you after.