(B)at the Movies: Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Let's get this out of the way: we love this movie, car-guy-detail-nerd complaints or no, and it remains the only film we've ever taken the entire BaT HQ staff to. In this latest installment of (B)at the Movies, we talk about the problem with Cobras; balancing historical accuracy with crowd appeal and ticket sales; a great way to put Boy Scouts to sleep (or apparently, inspired vocal patriotism); the iconic opening scenes of the movie, from Ken Miles' mechanic shop to the production floor at Ford to the paddock at Willow Springs; the dumb downshifts and sudden discovery of extra room under the right foot required in every racing movie; admiration for the charming leads and for Tracy Letts, the character actor playing The Deuce; evil composite characters; 17" wheels that almost ruin everything; doing 218 on the Mulsanne Straight; the sad folder situation at modern-day Ford; teaching the young about Ken Miles; and finally, the movie's ranking in the pantheon of racing films.

What details did we miss? What performances did we sail past without so much as a nod? What was going on with that 356, anyway? Tell us in the comments below!

Follow along! Links for the listings discussed in this episode:

2:39  BaT Podcast Episode 56: AJ Baime on Go Like Hell, The Arsenal of Democracy, and More

1:09:49  Porsche 906 Re-Creation

1:10:17  1963 Ford Falcon