by Dov Kornits
Worth: $16.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies
Intro:
... a rip-roaring good time at the movies.
Spoiler Alert: You will know far too much about tyres after sitting through F1. Supposedly, they’re the major difference between a car going fast, far and/or sliding out.
On a more serious and constructive note, F1 is the ultimate blockbuster, from the producer/director of Top Gun Maverick, everything is painted in broad strokes, from our leading character Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), who was once bound for glory, then lost it all due to his competitive edge, gambling and female troubles. Tracked down mysteriously in a 24 hour laundromat by his ex driving partner Ruben (Javier Bardem), Hayes is offered an opportunity to prop up a racing team and its rookie driver JP (Damson Idris). Oh yeah, the team’s engineer is an Irish woman (Kerry Condon is sexy, smart and committed), who will definitely fall for Sonny.
This is the most predictable film that you will see this year – part corporate video for Formula One, part racing simulation/game, all sports movie cliches; but isn’t that what you came here for? Emulating the sorts of archetypes that made Top Gun such a success – with every character given just enough texture to stop them from being mistaken for a cardboard cutout – there really isn’t that much to analyse here, other than acknowledging that it’s an entertaining ride with no expense spared, from the action, locations to the casting.
At one stage, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem’s characters joke that guys in their fifties have won races before – but isn’t Brad in his sixties? He does look great, though, taking the tough, tortured charm of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s Cliff Booth to a seemingly effortless level. Also, for a movie about race car driving, which is famously ear-bleedingly loud, the film’s sound design is surprisingly lacking. You expect to be blown away by an accelerating engine or a horrible accident, but the sound has to compete with repartee, commentary and a rousing Hans Zimmer score. Maybe it’s deliberate so as not alienate one of those four audience quadrants.
It’s interesting to note that the film was financed by Apple, joining the likes of Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon as prestige pictures released in cinemas; but those lost quite a bit of coin in doing so. They are now sitting exclusively on Apple TV+, which is the real reason that Apple invested in them in the first place, trying desperately to compete with Netflix. Will F1 buck this trend, going into profit in cinemas? It’s hard to tell, but it’s Apple’s best chance yet. F1 The Movie has everything going for it – a recognisable brand, an attractive, popular, skilled cast, action aplenty, a massive budget that is all on the screen, an uplifting sports movie narrative, and it delivers a rip-roaring good time at the movies.
Can’t wait for the sequel where Sonny Hayes becomes the first 70-year-old to race in F1. We’ve got the title already, F2. Oh, hang on… Just see it!
