The year was 1887 when the first auto race was organized by Monsieur Fossier, who was the Chief Editor of the publication Le Vélocipède. It was 2 Kilometers long between Neuilly Bridge to the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. This race was the precursor to the competitions we are familiar with today, including NASCAR and Formula 1 racing. However, Formula 1 Racing wasn't officially defined until over fifty years later in the late 1940s. Since that time, it has become extremely profitable, generating a record-breaking $3.65 billion in revenue in 2024. Therefore, it seems like a no-brainer that Hollywood would want to make a feature film about the sport. This summer, that idea is coming to fruition when F1: The Movie hits theaters on June 27, 2025.
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt; Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood) was a rising star in the world of F1 when an accident derailed his career. He then famously spent a decade drinking and gambling, making headlines for all the wrong reasons. With time and maturity, he decided he would travel the world, pitching in when race teams needed an extra hand on the track. He was happy with the arrangement, picking up racing gigs and a paycheck, anywhere he could. However, when his former teammate, Ruben (Javier Bardem; No Country for Old Men), asks Sonny to join his team for the last 9 races of the season, he is reluctant to agree. Of course, Sonny ultimately does and butts heads with everyone...from his cocky, young teammate, Joshua (Damson Idris; Snowfall) to the beautiful engineer, Kate (Kerry Condon; The Banshees of Inisherin)...but also manages to get the job done in the end.
While there is much to like about F1: The Movie, Pitt's performance wasn't one of them. He portrays Sonny as the confident, arrogant, know-it-all character we have seen from him before, and his monologue on the balcony of a Las Vegas hotel is painful to sit through. Idris is good and matches Pitt's energy and performance throughout, putting them on a level playing field. Bardem is as solid as ever, but it is Condon who is the standout among the cast. She commands the screen every time she is on it, and you can't help but watch her every move and expression.
Director Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) once again has a hit on his hands and another blockbuster that will dominate the summer box office. His use of the latest technology gives him the ability to bring the audience into the driver's seat with Sonny and Joshua, making them feel as if they are a part of the action rather than simply watching it. Kosinski has an uncanny knack for making a two-and-a-half-hour film feel as if no time at all had passed and leaving the viewer wanting more. He is one of the best filmmakers out there, and he knows how to use camera angles to evoke thoughts and feelings from theatergoers that we didn't know we either needed or wanted.
If you have never seen an F1 race, you will learn a whole lot about the sport and garner a new appreciation for it and those who make it their career. If you are an F1 fan who watches the entire season, you will be happy with how much detail Kosinski puts into the movie. It is obvious that the director and the entire production team put a lot of time and energy into making the movie look and feel authentic, and it pays off in the end.
F1: The Movie tells a story about intertwined lives amid the backdrop of big-time, professional car racing.
Grade: A-
