Oscars 2020: Third time's the charm for 'Ford v Ferrari' after Globes and Critics' Choice miss?
'Ford v Ferrari' was one of those highly-anticipated movies of 2019 that was primed to win more than just a handful of awards at the end of the year. Except it didn't. Peter Chernin's adrenaline-pumping real-life racing drama starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale was nominated in various categories in the recently concluded Golden Globes and the Critcs' Choice Awards and as unfortunate as it may seem, the flick didn't win any of the awards it was nominated for at the two events.
However, there is still hope as the film has been nominated in four categories— Best Film, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing -- at the Oscars. Its competitors are 'The Irishman,' 'Jojo Rabbit,' 'Joker,' 'Little Women,' 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood,' 'Marriage Story,' 'Parasite' and '1917.'
The story follows a determined team of American engineers and designers, led by automotive legend Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and his British driver, Ken Miles (Christian Bale), who is dispatched by Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca with the mission of building the Ford GT40, a new racing car with the potential and the horsepower to finally defeat the perennially dominant Ferrari racing team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. The film has grossed $211 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics, who lauded the performances and racing sequences.
The flick has a staggering approval rating of 92% based on Rotten Tomatoes based on 313 reviews, with an average rating of 7.75/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Ford v Ferrari delivers all the polished auto action audiences will expect – and balances it with enough gripping human drama to satisfy non-racing enthusiasts."
The film boasts of enjoyable well-crafted racing sequences, the neck-to-neck edge outs and the crashes pack a wallop and makes it what can be rightfully called an "edge of the seat" film. As far as racing films go, this one is a fabulous car vs car encounter that needs to be viewed purely and only on the big screen. And if it wins an Oscar, it will be deservedly so.
The Oscar Awards will be announced on February 10, 2020.