Review: Pitts “F1 The Movie” Will Excite Race Fans but Lacks Depth

By: Robert Prentice

Rating:

Dubbed “the greatest that never was,” Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) was FORMULA 1’s most promising phenom of the 1990s until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, he’s a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team that is on the verge of collapse.

Ruben convinces Sonny to come back to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and being the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team’s hotshot rookie intent on setting his own pace. But as the engines roar, Sonny’s past catches up with him and he finds that in FORMULA 1, your teammate is your fiercest competition—and the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.

Review

F1: The Movie is Hollywood’s latest attempt to bring racing to a broader audience through big-screen storytelling. Unlike the recent Gran Turismo, F1 isn’t based on a true story—the plot is entirely fictional. That said, the film does a decent job introducing the world of Formula 1 to newcomers, without bogging down the pace with unnecessary exposition. F1 already has a massive global fanbase, and the film manages to acknowledge that without alienating those unfamiliar with Grand Prix racing.

Ruben (Javier Bardem) and Sonny (Brad Pitt) are believable as longtime best friends turned late-career collaborators, trying to save Ruben’s struggling team, Apex GP. Their chemistry feels authentic. Unfortunately, the supposed rivalry between Josh (Damson Idris) and Sonny never even makes it off the starting grid. It feels flat and forced—as if the two actors filmed their scenes on separate tracks. A half-hearted romantic subplot between Sonny and team engineer Kate (Kerry Condon) also sputters, adding little to the narrative and ultimately feeling like a pit stop the film didn’t need.

As a story, F1 doesn’t bring much to the finish line. It lacks the emotional horsepower or narrative traction of other racing films based on true events. Still, if you’re a fan of the sport, there’s no denying the film delivers on visual spectacle. It offers some of the most immersive, high-octane depictions of F1 action put on screen—possibly making it one of the few films worth seeing in 4DX.

F1 is a fan-first film, built for the racing faithful—but in trying to go full throttle toward mainstream appeal, it spins out in the final lap and fails to secure a podium finish.

F1 hits theaters Friday June 27th.