MANILA, Philippines — The name Lamborghini is well-known to car enthusiasts as a synonym for style and sophistication; if only the biopic "Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend" could live up to its name.
The film follows Ferruccio Lamborghini in his youth, played by Romano Reggiani, and his fascination for machines rather than farming like his family, which leads to the creation of the tractor company Lamborghini Trattori.
A time jump then sees Frank Grillo portraying Ferruccio as he pivots into making luxury cars that will rival those of Maserati, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and, most importantly, Ferrari.
It wasn't too long ago when the world saw "Ford v Ferrari," a heartpumping tale of the rivalry between the two car brands at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and it had the adrenaline to match the filmmaking, which set the standard high for any automobile movies that followed.
Needless to say, "Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend" is a mediocre attempt, at best a basic biopic, to present the life of a presumably flawed human being.
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Not that it lacked for promise in Oscar-winning director-writer Robert Moresco, bona fide action star Grillo and Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino, but Lamborghini's story never seemed to kick into any higher gear.
Having a fictional race between Lamborghini and Ferrari isn't a terrible choice to mix into a film supposedly divided into three chapters, but the movie drops narrative beats along the way with rushed resolutions that never feel worthwhile.
It's made even worse by the fact that the film is based on a book written by Ferruccio's son Tonino, a character who never fully develops in the film.
Neither Grillo nor Sorvino, or anyone in the cast, stands out performance-wise, which says a lot about Sorvino's nomination for Worst Supporting Actress at the 2023 Golden Raspberry Awards.
With the popularity of Formula 1 continuing to rise again — though Lamborghini hasn't participated there since the early '90s — car fans may want to steer clear or risk being disappointed at plain efforts.
"Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend" is now streaming in the Philippines on Lionsgate Play.
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