'Ford v Ferrari' is a fine, if a bit formulaic racing melodrama

Ford v. Ferrari is a very good if not quite great inspirational sports movie. It's the kind of totally inoffensive, mainstream entertainment that any parent and/or boomer could love. It lovingly evokes the mid-1960s and a sort of sun-kissed cool that is a pleasure to watch.

But while Once Upon a Time in Hollywood did the same thing but with a shadow of existential dread, the stakes are much lower in Ford v. Ferrari. The bad guys aren't psycho killers, they're just kind of jerks.

What the movie does do especially well though is take advantage of the personas of its two stars. I've always thought Matt Damon is at his best when he's playing a bit of a loser -- look at the roles where he really shines (The Departed, Talented Mr. Ripley) -- it's usually when he's a bit of a poser, which maybe speaks to some of his off-screen baggage.

Here he is a past-his-prime race car driving legend who is now in the business of making and selling sports cars. He's teamed up with Christian Bale, giving his least affected performance maybe ever, as a taciturn but undeniably talented driver and mechanic.

Bale is built up as a difficult guy and you half expect there to be some reveal that he's a drug addict or a pervert, but instead we learn that he is just a bit rude and bad with money. Bale, speaking in his natural British accent, is a delight as the driver Ken Miles and its refreshing to see him play a family man instead of a grumpy loner.

They're backed up by some of the most electrifying racing scenes I've ever seen -- I don't quite know how much of what I was looking at was real or digitally enhanced, and I mean that as a compliment. It's hard to create real suspense in these sorts of rousing (if a bit formulaic) sports melodramas, but the recreation of the infamous Le Mans 24-hour race is exciting enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The film also has a few sneaky moving moments around its edges too. The domestic drama stuff involving Bale's wife doesn't really work -- but the relationship with his young son does -- and Damon has a devastating final scene that showed me new shades of what he's capable of as an actor.

I only wish the movie had something more to it than its straightforward premise -- the unlikely pitting of the Ford motor company against the Ferrari company in a racing competition. It doesn't help that the character of Ford (played very well by Tracy Letts) has an offhand moment of bigotry that is never reconciled, or that the Ferrari folks are never anything more than caricatures.

And yet, it's hard to quibble too much with well-crafted Hollywood movies like this. It's a classic crowdpleaser that will appeal to people like me who don't particularly care about cars or know much about them. If you're looking for a safe and fun picture to watch with your family over the holidays, you can't go wrong with this one. It's apolitical and frequently awesome.