--- title: "Ferrari: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ferrari/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/ferrari" critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ferrari (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 65 from 18 reviews: 9 positive, 7 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics agree on where Ferrari works. The racing sequences, and the Mille Miglia in particular, draw praise across almost every review, positive and negative alike, for their sound design and their sense of real danger. Penélope Cruz is the other point of agreement, singled out repeatedly as Laura Ferrari and often named as the strongest thing in the film. The reservations cluster around everything off the track. A large minority finds the domestic and business scenes slow and talky, and several reviews describe Adam Driver as muted or bloodless, though others, Vulture among them, call his performance vivid. The spread is wide: Variety and the Los Angeles Times treat it as a serious, classically built drama, while the Evening Standard and Deadline find it stalls under the weight of repeated marital argument. The consensus is a handsome film that comes alive in the cockpit and struggles in the house. ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critics Pick. 31 August 2023. Festival review. Mann turns a pivotal three-month period in Enzo Ferrari’s life into a gripping, masterful drama with the intensity and layered fascination of a 1970s film. The review singles out the thrilling yet harrowing staging of the Mille Miglia race and the authentic intertwining of business, family, and personal crises. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/ferrari-review-adam-driver-penelope-cruz-michael-mann-venice-film-festival-1235708271/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2023. Mann delivers a somber, classically scaled epic focused on grief, betrayal, and the high stakes of racing and family. The film excels in its portrayal of Enzo Ferrari’s compartmentalized life and the volcanic performances of its leads. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-12-22/ferrari-review-michael-mann-adam-driver-penelope-cruz) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 4/5. 29 December 2023. The critic highlights the visceral thrills of the racing sequences and sound design alongside the central relationship drama, viewing the film as a compelling portrait of Enzo Ferrari at a personal and professional breaking point. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/ferrari-review-michael-mann/) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2023. Mann's portrait of the egotistical pioneer takes a smart, fascinating approach to a complex life story haunted by grief as much as glamour. The racing sequences deliver heart-in-throat thrills and the aesthetics are faultless, though the personal life writing has some issues. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/ferrari-review-adam-driver-biopic-2816167) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 4/5. 26 December 2023. The review praises the electrifying, realistic driving and race scenes as the film’s highlight and a triumphant return for Mann, while noting the domestic and business scenes feel somewhat jumbled. Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz deliver strong performances amid the personal drama. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/ferrari-review-michael-mann-adam-driver/) ## Time Out — Elizabeth Weitzman Rating 3/5. 13 October 2023. The review praises the kinetic car scenes and Penelope Cruz's performance but criticizes the film's lack of heat, dull protagonist, and failure to ignite after strong opening visuals. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ferrari-2023) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2023. Festival review. Mann’s stately biopic is well-oiled with clean lines, strong performances and classily rendered production values, but feels unessential and lacks a certain something under the hood to really make it fly. The personal demons are handled more refined than the racing elements. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/ferrari-review-2023/) ## Empire — Iana Murray Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2023. The biopic is surprisingly staid and gets bogged down in dull relationship drama that screeches to a halt. The racing sequences are thrillingly visceral and place viewers right in the cockpit, but there is not enough of the exhilarating stuff. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ferrari/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2023. The critic finds the biopic handsome but bogged down by slow, talky storytelling about business and family matters, with a muted and bloodless performance from Adam Driver. Penélope Cruz stands out as Ferrari’s strident, furious wife. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/dec/23/ferrari-review-michael-mann-penelope-cruz-adam-driver-fast-cars-slow-storytelling) ## The Independent — Mark Kennedy Rating 2/4. 18 December 2023. The biopic is a solid vehicle but ultimately unmoved and fails to ignite despite strong performances and slick visuals. It gets bogged down in domestic drama and loses emotional investment in its characters and story. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ferrari-ap-adam-driver-michael-mann-shailene-woodley-b2466165.html) ## Evening Standard — Jo-Ann Titmarsh Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2023. Festival review. Mann's passion project stalls and splutters, with too much repetitive focus on the unhappy marital situation and not enough on the cars or races. Driver is muted and the supporting cast is underused, making it far from a winner despite gorgeous locations. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/ferrari-venice-film-festival-review-adam-driver-michael-mann-b1104051.html) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Rating ★★★★☆. 21 December 2023. The review highlights Mann’s focus on what drove Enzo Ferrari, blending racing, money, and personal loss, with death portrayed as arbitrary and final. Penélope Cruz delivers a brilliant performance mapping emotional scar tissue. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/28a70457-4d8e-453e-8245-82c207dbd5dc) ## Screen Daily 31 August 2023. Festival review. The review notes the film's surprising emphasis on domestic soap opera over racing action in this refined period piece, praising the production values and Mille Miglia set-piece while suggesting it may not appeal widely. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ferrari-venice-review/5185440.article) ## Sight and Sound — John Bleasdale 3 September 2023. Festival review. The critic finds the film strongest during the racing scenes but criticizes the excessive focus on family melodrama over the track action, noting miscasting and unconvincing elements in the domestic plot. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/ferrari-michael-manns-family-melodrama-spends-too-little-time-track) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 31 August 2023. Festival review. The film focuses on a pivotal 1957 period in Enzo Ferrari's life, balancing personal crises with high-stakes racing. It delivers thrilling race sequences and strong performances from Driver and Cruz, though some domestic scenes and accents fall short. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ferrari-review-adam-driver-penelope-cruz-michael-mann-1235578881/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 24 December 2023. The film roars to life during its racing sequences but portrays domestic life as a source of torment. The director captures the obsessions of Enzo Ferrari through striking period detail and strong performances. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/24/movies/ferrari-review-michael-mann.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★☆☆☆. 22 December 2023. The critic calls the film handsomely made but ultimately empty, with Driver’s performance lacking depth beyond parental grief and the narrative treading water until the final race. The race scenes are powerful but come too late to save the drama. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/ferrari-review-adam-driver-runs-out-of-fuel-in-a-flashy-biopic-8d09dbbkw) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri 25 December 2023. Mann's film captures Enzo Ferrari as a complex, evasive figure juggling family and business crises amid tragedy. It stands out for Adam Driver's vivid performance and its blend of elegant restraint with visceral racing horror. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/michael-mann-ferrari-movie-review.html) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 8/10. 22 November 2023. The critic sees Ferrari as transcending a standard biopic with its introspective look at Enzo Ferrari's grief-stricken life and passions, calling it Mann's best work since Collateral. They single out Penélope Cruz's powerhouse performance as Laura Ferrari for commanding every scene. [Read the review](https://collider.com/ferrari-movie-review/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2023. The film is uneven and slow to build but a triumphant return to form for Mann, with the car racing scenes the best in cinema history. Patience is rewarded for fans, and it is a treat especially for those who love fast cars or the stars. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ferrari-2023-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## /Film — Audrey Fox Rating 8/10. 16 October 2023. Mann captures the high drama of racing alongside personal struggles, with strong performances from Driver and especially Cruz as the scorned wife. The film blends emotional depth and action effectively despite some disconnects between storylines. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1421324/ferrari-review/) ## The Ringer — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2023. Festival review. The critic describes Ferrari as a granular study of a larger-than-life but damaged man armored against grief and personal contradictions, with Mann focusing on microscopic details and the deadly stakes of racing. They highlight strong performances by Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz alongside the film's visceral, death-tinged racing sequences. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2023/10/17/movies/ferrari-movie-review-adam-driver-michael-mann) ## HeyUGuys — Chris Connor Rating 3/5. 15 December 2023. A solid, enjoyable study of Enzo Ferrari at a low point in his business and personal life, with strong work from Driver and Cruz but underdeveloped supporting characters. It is watchable and entertaining though not among Mann's best. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/ferrari-review/) ## The Wrap — Ben Croll Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2023. Festival review. Mann's return excels in its thrilling, technically masterful racing sequences and sound design, especially the climactic Mille Miglia, but the narrative often sputters due to a creaky, expositional script. It notes the shift to a more classical style and the monomaniacal focus on Enzo's obsession. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/ferrari-review-michael-mann-adam-driver-penelope-cruz/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2023. Festival review. The film offers a tame, introspective portrait of Enzo Ferrari during a difficult period, hampered by an unemotional lead performance from Adam Driver and a slow narrative pace. It praises Penélope Cruz's late emotional scene but concludes the overall effort falls short in the pantheon of racing films. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/08/ferrari-review-michael-mann-intimate-portrait-of-a-motoring-legend-adam-driver-penelope-cruz-1235532853/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ferrari.md