Film Review: F1 - The Movie

  

Sexuality/Nudity Mature

Violence Acceptable

Vulgarity Acceptable

Anti-Catholic Philosophy Acceptable

Sometimes you just want a fun time at the theater.

And F1: The Movie will give you a couple of hours of enjoyable, escapist fun.

The story centers on Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) an aging racer who is traveling the different racing circuits not for the glory but for the thrill of the race.  He is approached by his old friend Ruben (Javier Bardem) who owns a losing Formula One racing team that is in danger of going under.  So he calls Sonny to come back to F1.  He immediately buts heads with the young, hotshot driver Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris).  Sparks also fly between Sonny and the cars engineer Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon).  In order take this team from last place, Sonny shakes things up with his unorthodox racing style and the tensions rise.

Director Joseph Kosinski, who knocked it out of the park with Top Gun: Maverick, brings that same intense, visceral style to this film.  Just as his last movie tried to make you feel like you were in the cockpit with Tom Cruise, F1 tries to make you feel like you are in the driver's seat with every rush, every turn, and every collision.  Seeing this film in IMAX maximizes the effect and will get you your best money's worth from the experience.

The plot doesn't have a lot of surprises, but that is fine.  This type of movies is not a mystery to be solved, but a dance between the audience and the movie where we leave exhilarated and happy.  What writer Ehren Kruger does very well is that he leans into the the masculine energy of the characters.  Sonny adn Joshua are competitive alpha males, both of whom are trying to assert their dominance.  But the story wisely does not make this simply a matter of ego (though ego on both of their parts is involved).  Sonny wants the team to do their best so that he can help his friend.  Joshua wants to do well because he wants to not lose his seat in this sport that he worked so hard to climb into.  Joshua's scenes with his mother Bernadette (Sarah Niles) go a long way to see that his ambition is not just for him, but for the mom who raised him.  

On top of this, the script does a good job of showing the strengths and the flaws of both men.  Sonny has wisdom and he is comfortable in his own skin, but he is stuck in his ways and he is getting towards the end of this career.  Joshua is headstrong and has limitless potential, but he is struggling to figure out who he is and doesn't know what he doesn't know.  The movie captures this tension between older men and younger men.  And I am very specific in saying that this involves men.  There is a specifically masculine way in which the characters interact with each other.  And as the story progresses back and forth between conflict and cooperation you can see that paradox of conflict and loyalty and is at the heart of male relationships.

The movie never feels like it has to feminize the men or take them down a notch.  The closest it does is in one scene where Jodie (Callie Cooke), a member of the pit crew screws up.  When Joshua yells at her, Sonny steps in and defends her.  Later when they are alone, Jodie thanks Sonny, but politely asks him not to do that because it makes her look weak.  Sonny simply acknowledges this reality and apologizes.  This isn't a lecture, but a request between peers.  Kate has a little bit of a chip on her shoulder about how people perceive her.  But she doesn't feel the need to drag down the men.  There is a scene where she, Joshua, and Sonny are playing poker which may sound like she is talking down to them.  But instead, it feels more like she is an equal at the table, busting up her friends.  She is strong without losing her femininity.  

Condon and Pitt have good chemistry.  Their romantic jousting is fun to watch.  Pitt also has good chemistry with Idris that evolves nicely as the movie goes forward.  Pitt himself is excellent in the role, not being too showy, but using a lot of stoic restraint showing us how he is the one of the few movie stars out there that is effortlessly cool.

The biggest drawback to the movie is that Formula One is a very unfamiliar sport to most Americans with complicated rules that are important to the plot.  While I appreciate the film makers for trusting our intelligence and ability to keep up, I could have used a little more help.  I don't know the difference in use of hard tires and soft tires.  I don't know why starting late gives better position.  Towards the end they reference some "miracle" scenario regarding the rules, but I couldn't follow.

This isn't the most consequential movie, but it is a movie designed to please and thrill and on that, F1: The Movie more than delivers