At the Theater

It’s been a long time since I looked forward to seeing a race car movie like “Ford v Ferrari,” with Christian Bale and Matt Damon. I don’t usually pay attention to car racing anyway. Having a step-father who builds award-winning custom autos has threatened to change my style of late. I’ve grown in my appreciation for the double discipline involved in building special cars: art and engineering.

I already knew about Carroll Shelby–the once chicken farmer turned car enthusiast who built a reputation for adding his own special touches to American manufacturing. Some of you know I’ve always fantasized about owning a Ford Mustang. A Shelby GT or AC Cobra would be just fine, too. Smart-looking and fast-cooking autos, they are.

But I didn’t know about Ken Miles, the British racing driver who teamed up with Shelby in the mid 1960s with the Ford GT. It was the heady days of Ford’s new sports car, introduced to attract the post-war Boomers. Shelby had taken it to a new level. Together, Shelby and Miles geared up to take on the Ferraris at the French 24 Hours of Le Mans racing event in 1966.

Ferrari was the Big Dog, and these guys were the underdogs. Well, I’ll root for the underdogs every time. I’ll root for gutsy boys wagering their hearts, their smarts and their rowdy ambition to show the world what they can do.

Matt Damon as Shelby and Christian Bale as Miles file a predictably fun and well-played performance as the Brit and the Yank who made France stand up and notice. It’s bloody inspiring, and makes your heart race a bit. Pun intended.

Due to a last-minute studio decision, “Ford v Ferrari” takes the place of “Knives Out” for January 10-14. For more information visit http://www.libertytheater.org.