Oscar Nominated Film Review - F1: THE MOVIE

Filmed with the cooperation of FI racing, the 4x Oscar Nominated ( including for Best Picture) Brad Pitt film, appropriately entitled F1: THE MOVIE, is a feast for the eyes and ears of racing fans that is visceral and loud and brash in the racing scenes and offers little else in the way of originality, characters and plot.

Writer/Director Joseph Kosinski (TOP GUN: MAVERICK) brings the same eye for action to this film that he did for that Tom Cruise sequel and it works well with a subject matter (F1 racing) that is just crying for a big screen, big budget special effects extravaganza and it delivers on that front, bringing the F1 experience front and center making the audience feel like they are in the cockpit of the racing car with Mr. Pitt. This film has, rightfully, been Oscar nominated for Visual Effects, Sound and Film editing and it won’t be surprising if it wins at least one of these.

It is also nominated for Best Picture - and that doesn’t feel quite right, for the rest of the film is a slapdash rehash of previously experienced movie going experiences that features the old pro returning (after a traumatic experience that made him walk away) and coming face to face with a brash newcomer who calls him “old man” throughout the course of the film.

Will these 2 eventually learn to get along and team up to, ultimately, bring this losing team to victory while learning life lessons along the way?

What do you think?

Pitt, clearly, got this movie greenlit when he agreed to appear in this film in the lead role of grizzled race veteran Sonny Hayes, who “just wants to race”. Pitt checks all the boxes of the grizzled veteran who pulls a rabbit out of his hat again and again - much to the chagrin of the younger, computer-savvy team. He’s a true MOVIE STAR and this film (and this role) needs one in order to hold it together - and Pitt more than delivers on this front.

Javier Bardem (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) is wasted as the Race Car owner who brings Sonny back into the game, while Damson Idris (SNOWFALL) is cocky and brash as the younger racer forced to work with Sonny.

Kerry Condon (DEATH BY LIGHTING), Sarah Niles (Ted’s therapist in TED LASSO) and Tobias Menzies (Prince Philip in the Princess Diana season of THE CROWN) are all in this film to check the boxes of their characters - the co-worker who becomes Pitt’s love interest, the worried Mother of the brash young driver who wishes her son would understand/respect the wisdom of Sonny and the Corporate Head who is looking not for the “love of racing”, but rather “the big payday”.

All of this is just by the book.

But, the biggest trope (faux pas) that this film does over and over again is that Sonny pulls a trick out of his hat during just about EVERY race that his team has no idea about. Whether it’s a minor rule, trust in the car, a wily veterans glance at the weather conditions, Sonny is the smartest guy in the room over and over again and cockily lets everyone know about it. He pulls a fast one on everyone - including his team - and It’s not a very endearing quality and by the time Bardem’s character finally says to Sonny “you’re fired” (do you think he’ll be rehired before the big, final race)? I just wanted to say to him - “about time”.

Oh, and they also have the “Racing Announcer’ voice over telling the audience over and over again the stakes that are in play (in case you forgot).

Come (and stay) for the racing footage. Put up with the corny dialogue, character and plot, the racing footgage is worth waiting for.

Letter Grade: B (A for the racing sequences, C for everything else)

7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the BankofMarquis