‘F1: THE MOVIE’ Review: Brad Pitt’s ‘TOP GUN: Meh-VERICK’

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

F1: THE MOVIE

Rated PG-13, 2 hours and 35 minutes

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

Starring: Brad Pitt, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Damson Idris, Tobias Menzies, Callie Cooke, Sarah Niles, Kim Bodnia, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc

It’s inevitable that F1: THE MOVIE is going to draw comparisons to director Joseph Kosinski’s previous Summer blockbuster TOP GUN: MAVERICK. After all, it holds many similarities from its character construction (a faded superstar paired with an arrogant protégé) to the propulsive action sequences that put audiences in these jockeys’ seats through a pristine mix of visual and sound design. There’s even a flirty, age-appropriate romance. Yet, despite its attempts to claim pole position with its high-octane parts, this refurbished model has trouble shaking its reductive, formulaic qualities. It’s a rush, but one you’ve experienced before.

Former Formula 1 hotshot Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) seems happy in his nomadic life, bumming around random racing circuits, driving third string, catching any kind of vehicular race he can. He’s got his routine down, tuning out the crowd adulation and moneymen seeking facetime before he hits the pavement. Decades prior in the early 90s, he suffered career-ending injuries behind the wheel during a high-stakes race and gave up on his dream to win a Grand Prix title. He also hit a rough patch in his personal life with gambling debts and two divorces. He’s overdue for a second chance.

Enter his pal and former colleague Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), who comes a ’calling, begging him to join his Formula 1 racing squad APX. The team is in danger of being gutted and sold at the end of the season if they don’t get their act together and start winning races. Ruben’s last ditch effort is to have Sonny come aboard to help hone their rising star rookie Joshua Pearce’s (Damson Idris) skillsets on the track. This strategy proves shaky at first, with the two frequently butting heads. But it’s when Sonny enlists scrappy, smart technical director Kate (Kerry Condon) to help engineer a faster car where things begin to shift for the better.

Blessedly, the film doesn’t take itself too seriously to have fun. It reverberates on a similar key to DAYS OF THUNDER where it’s a bunch of dudes being dudes, playfully razzing each other. It’s stunning and immersive in IMAX. Editor Stephen Mirrione’s quickly paced cuts give the exhilarating, edge-of-your-seat racing sequences a comparable, compelling energy. His montages percolate. The Hungary and Italian Grand Prix vignettes are beautifully streamlined, making our souls levitate. Narratively, the old guy vs. rookie relationship dynamic is fairly lean, but present enough to get the job done and have you cheering at the end. Tertiary characters – like lowly, clumsy APX pit box team member Jodie (Callie Cooke) and APX strategist Kasper (Kim Bodnia) – are allotted movie moments. Cameos from popular racecar drivers (Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are amongst a few of them) are subtly incorporated to give the proceedings a grounded authenticity.

Composer Hans Zimmer’s thumping techno score is akin to Reznor and Ross’ work in CHALLENGERS mixing sports and sex appeal. It’s glorious, functioning perfectly in concert with the cacophony of roaring racecar engines, providing a pulse-quickening symphony. Bliss out on the percussive bass that shakes your seats. The booming brass sets the mood with its bluster. The soundscape also created by the pop soundtrack, replete with flinty melodies and seductively sleek arrangements, augments narrative sentiments in this dance between man and machine.

Outside of the adrenaline-charged Big Action set pieces, there’s nothing audiences haven’t seen before. Writer Ehren Kruger (working from a story also by Kosinski) cobbles together paint-by-numbers script where a bit more ingenuity could’ve driven the dramatics. As is, and as compared to the racing sequences, the talky bits experience deep valley lulls in energy that take away from the mounting momentum. Underdog sports movie clichés and expected enemies-to-friends antics fuel the narrative like gasoline pumping through an engine. The conflict that transitions us into a rousing third act, one that involves shady dealings by APX investor Banning (Tobias Menzies) is clunky and borders on mustache-twirling if the character had an actual mustache to twirl. It’s entirely predictable how this extra padding resolves.

Rather than leave anything to subtext, the picture telegraphs almost every detail to us. Character motivations are explained by the characters themselves (like Sonny’s post-coital balcony confession to Kate) and the stakes are laid out clearly by supporting characters (like all the sports program announcers and gossip-slinging journalists). The lone lovely bit of subtlety involves the playing cards Sonny slides into his racing jumpsuit pocket before every race in quieter scenes of reflection where we’re allowed to feel the weight of his lucky routine’s importance. Fleeting earned moments in a film that emphasizes timing is everything.

Pitt delivers a watered-down MONEYBALL-esque performance, where you can see the glimmer in his blue eyes, but the material isn’t quite there to cradle him. Idris delivers nuance and strength. He’s got a magnetic pull. Bardem is a delight to watch, shifting easily with commanding precision from harried team owner to celebratory captain, all within the course of a scene. Condon, as always, is the bright spot, building depth and dimension into what might’ve been a thankless role in anyone else’s less capable hands. She has an arc, great comedic timing and a well-defined fiery spark to her sass and sparkle.

While not as unwieldy as GRAN TURISMO the movie, F1: THE MOVIE occasionally hits the skids. The razzle dazzle of these scripted races doesn’t compare to the thrilling excitement of real Formula 1 racing, yet replicates the driving aspects brilliantly. Netflix’s FORMULA 1: DRIVE TO SURVIVE and F1: THE ACADEMY rank higher in their craft, creating intriguing emotional throughlines from human interest stories. With foreseeable outcomes and a few lackluster resolutions, it’s fine fodder.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

F1: THE MOVIE opens in theaters on June 27.