Ford v Ferrari was a surprise hit in the fall of 2019. At the time, many assumed that big-budget, adult-skewing dramas were bound to underperform, but James Mangold’s film rode a way of outstanding reviews and good buzz to a hefty $225 million worldwide gross. It earned a best picture Academy Award nomination, and has become a streaming staple, paving the way for Mangold to be chosen as Steven Spielberg’s successor for Indiana Jones 5.
The film is based on the 1966 Le Mans race where Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) attempt to build a car that will take out the dominant Italian racing team, Ferrari. It’s a story filled with triumph and tragedy that seems reverse engineered to be a Hollywood epic, but how close is it to what really happened at the ’66 Le Mans? In this episode of WTF Really Happened to this Movie, we try to separate fact and fiction while reexamining this top-notch racing flick. How close to Mangold and his screenwriting team of Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller stick to what really happened? And was the 24 hours of Le Mans race as gruelling as the movie made it out to be?
This episode of WTF Really Happened to this Movie is written by Brian Accardo, edited by Paul Cooper, narrated by Steve Seigh and produced by Taylor James Johnson. Let us know what you think of Ford v Ferrari in the comments!