Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A documentary interspersed with acted scenes, this portrait of John DeLorean covers the brilliant but tragically flawed automaker's rise to stardom and shocking down fall.
Framing John DeLorean earns its highest marks for Novelty thanks to its genuinely distinctive hybrid structure — blending traditional documentary footage with dramatized reenactments starring Alec Baldwin, creating a meta-layered portrait that reflects on storytelling itself. The plot covers a genuinely fascinating subject (DeLorean's rise, FBI sting, and trial) competently but occasionally gets lost in its own dual format. Acting is serviceable; Baldwin commits to the role but the reenactment scenes vary in quality. Cinematography is functional, mixing talking-head interviews and drama without particular visual ambition. The ending feels anticlimactic — the film struggles to deliver a truly satisfying or illuminating conclusion to DeLorean's complex legacy.