Formula 1 is a global phenomenon. With fans all over the globe watching and cheering their favorite drivers on, it was simply a matter of time before we would get a new film set in this high-paced, high-octane world. Now, speeding into theaters this weekend, we have F1.
I’ll be the first to admit, I know incredibly little about the world of Formula 1. I’ve heard of Lewis Hamilton, who is one of the biggest stars in motorsport, as well as a producer on this movie. However, I’ve never actually seen a single race. So, as a newbie to all of this, I was ridiculously surprised by how much I enjoyed F1.
Directed by Top Gun: Maverick and Tron: Legacy filmmaker, Joseph Kosinski, F1 follows rough-and-tumble wheelman, Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), an aging racer who once almost achieved glory in the world of Formula 1, before retiring from the sport, and doing one-off racing gigs here and there. Sonny is thrust back into Formula 1 when his old buddy and former rival Ruben (Javier Bardem) recruits him to drive for his team, APXGP, alongside the team’s young hotshot star, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). As Sonny and Joshua butt heads with one another, Ruben and the team’s technical director, Kate (Kerry Condon) try to get the pair to make peace, team up, and show the racing world that together they can truly be unstoppable.
Yes, it’s true. This film especially puts the “formula” into Formula 1, playing out every single cliché from the “underdog story” playbook on screen. It won’t win any points for originality. However, from a storytelling standpoint, sometimes if it ain’t broke, you don’t need to fix it, especially if your movie is anchored by stellar performances and engaging, exciting, and innovative racing sequences! After all, similar things could be said about Kosinski’s Maverick, and that went on to be nominated for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars.
While F1 doesn’t necessarily reach the heights (no pun intended) of Maverick, it is almost as winning. Although Hayes and Pearce could be easily confused with any underdog stock characters on paper, what Pitt and Idris do with the characters elevates them above the material with ease. Pitt’s laid-back, cowboy approach to Hayes makes him a roughneck devil-may-care speedster, with a give-’em-hell attitude that makes him instantly likable. It’s a role we’ve seen Pitt play several times, and in this case, Hayes is written to Pitt’s strengths, which benefits both the character and his on-screen execution. Idris, on the other hand, is terrifically successful at allowing the audience to both dislike the cocky, arrogant nature of the character and root for him as he slowly transforms into a much better individual and teammate.
Again, none of these are groundbreaking characters, but what Pitt and Idris are able to bring to the roles that lesser actors may not be able to are charisma and charm. The chemistry between the two is dynamic, as they have a terrific frenemy energy spawned from Pitt’s laid-back nature and Idris’s bombastic showiness, which clash and create tension. And they get you to root for their inevitable team-up because Pitt and Idris get you to like both of their respective characters, and ultimately have you rooting for the best situation for both of them based on their merits, both as actors and characters.
Naturally, we wouldn’t be able to root for these characters if two others weren’t instigating the eventual collaboration between them. And that would be Bardem and Condon, and their terrific performances. Bardem is a lot of fun, bringing a massively joyful presence to the role of Ruben, with a jovial nature that provides excellent comic relief to the film. Condon, on the other hand, plays the authentic voice of reason in the movie, depicting the only truly rational and level-headed character among a cast of characters that need to be reigned in. She’s able to pull off the technical jargon that make her a believable technical director for F1, but also get you to feel for her as she has to deal with grown manchildren who can’t see beyond a pointless pissing contest. It helps that Condon brings a soothing presence and sense of wisdom to her character.
Despite the previous three paragraphs focusing on various characters and performances, we need to dissect the actual reason why F1 is a terrific theatrical experience: the race scenes. This may, perhaps, be the best racing movie of all time, if for no other reason than the sheer adrenaline-fueled realism of the incredible racing sequences. Like with Top Gun: Maverick, Kosinski proves that he’s perhaps the industry’s best filmmaker when it comes to immersing his audience into the actual high-speed vehicles. You feel the tension and high stakes as soon as either Pitt or Idris gets into their cockpits and floors it! It makes you feel literally like you’re the one in the driver’s seat, feeling the rumble of the engine, the pressure of keeping up as the other racers zoom past you, and the sensation of the pit crew changing out the tires at lightning speed. And the film is full of them. It’s remarkable work thanks to Kosinski’s direction and cinematographer Claudio Miranda’s execution.
Like with Maverick, Miranda’s work is steady and smooth, yet immersive and intense. He brings the race track to the screen with stunning first-person perspectives that switch back and forth between the driver and the audience. The claustrophobia of the driver’s seat adds to the intensity of these moments, but it makes everything feel fun and essential. Similar to capturing the feel of being in a fighter jet, it’s not an easy task to capture the feel of being in a Formula 1 car. And yet, Miranda’s able to propel us forward, blasting us from 0 to 100 MPH all on screen, thrusting us into a world of fun and making us fully invested in this world, regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the motorsport. It is the absolute reason why we go to the movies, and makes F1 one of the most exhilarating experiences anyone can have in theaters this year.
Accompanying the stellar visuals and fast-paced set pieces is Hans Zimmer’s terrific score. Much like all of his scores, Zimmer’s work brings a sweeping sense of epic grandness to the racing sequences. While not among his most innovative or memorable scores, Zimmer is still able to capture the stakes and intensity of everything playing out on screen with every race. It’s also a ton of fun, giving the entire film a ’90s action-movie feel without becoming campy. It’s excellent work as always.
For all its enjoyable strengths, F1 has a few weaknesses. The screenplay, as we discussed, throws all the classic clichés at the screen. If not for the racing sequences and performances, you’d have a “been there, done that” situation that we’ve seen with every single sports film and underdog story ever put to celluloid. It’s the film’s biggest weakness, and without the actors and Kosinski’s direction, this film would not work at all. For instance, Idris’s character, Joshua, is a complete jerk. There’s absolutely nothing likable about this character, and his evolution is unconvincing on paper. However, thanks to Idris’s performance, the character works. The screenplay is filled with character flaws and obviousness that wouldn’t work if the film weren’t as well-directed and acted as it is.
The other thing I found to be a major turn-off was an unnecessary romantic subplot that has been shoehorned into the film. It’s bad enough that this is a movie that stands on its own without one. However, forcing one between Pitt’s character and Condon’s is pretty icky. There’s a nearly 20-year age gap between the two, and it’s a really disgusting and overly dated element to seeing this play out on screen. It doesn’t help that, while Pitt and Condon have some chemistry, that chemistry is strictly platonic. So when the romance came into play, it felt cringeworthy. Pitt needs to start taking on more roles where he’s paired with age-appropriate romances. At least Cliff Booth had the good sense to stay away from Margaret Qualley. Even in Maverick, Jennifer Connelly’s Penny was pretty appropriate for Cruise’s titular character. Why this romance needed to be in this film, especially given how frequently characters reference Pitt’s Hayes being an older gentleman at this point, is flabbergasting.
If we ignore the clichés of the script and the cringeworthy romance, however, you have a movie that’s incredibly entertaining and demands to be seen in theatres. Thanks to stellar performances by a terrific ensemble and excellent direction by Kosinski, F1 is elevated to a fun, tense, fast-paced thrill ride with a surprising amount of heart. The exhilarating race sequences truly put you in the driver’s seat and leave you breathless! The cinematography and score are excellent, and the whole thing gives you a personal, inside look at the pressure, tension, and stakes of the racing world. In short, F1 is an absolute reminder of why we love summer blockbusters! You won’t regret seeing it on the biggest screen possible!
Rating: 8/10