‘F1: The Movie’ Brad Pitt Blockbuster Spins Its Wheels 

‘F1: The Movie’ Brad Pitt Blockbuster Spins Its Wheels 

By Alex McPherson

Loud, exciting, and about an hour too long, director Joseph Kosinski’s “F1: The Movie” coasts on Brad Pitt’s starpower and bursts of directorial panache within a narrative framework that leaves deeper thought in the dust.

Kosinski, who previously directed 2022’s excellent “Top Gun: Maverick,” opts for a similar story yet again — an aging professional past his prime coming back into the fold to mentor the next generation and conquer deep-seated traumas, looking effortlessly cool while doing so. 

Sonny Hayes (Pitt) was once a Formula One prodigy with his teammate and buddy Rubén Cervantes (Javier Bardem). Sonny suffered severe injuries from a crash at the Spanish Grand Prix, which promptly took him out of commission. In the following years, Sonny embraced a nomadic lifestyle, going through three divorces and becoming a gambling addict living in a trailer. He travels from race to race seeking that ineffable high he gets from driving really fast and really dangerously. 

After Sonny wins the 24 Hours of Daytona, Rubén shows up and offers (practically begs) him to join his F1 team, “APXGP,” and fill a spare seat that’s been turned down by several other drivers. The team’s life and Rubén’s career are in jeopardy.

Rubén discloses that the investors will sell the team if they cannot win one of the year’s nine remaining Grand Prix — and Rubén instructs the quietly arrogant Sonny to mentor the young rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). 

Sonny, enticed by the possibility of becoming “the best in the world,” signs onto APXGP. Despite his skills behind the wheel, Sonny quickly discovers that he’s in over his head, and that his mentee-turned-rival Joshua isn’t exactly enamored with cooperation.

Joshua sees Sonny as another obstacle to overcome in his own search for glory in the sport and in the public eye. Sonny also meets the determined team technical director Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), and, surprise!, they’re quickly drawn to each other.

But Sonny’s technique around the track is unconventional and unsuccessful from the jump, instilling doubt in Rubén and the team’s smarmy investors. Can Sonny adapt, cooperate, and achieve the victory he craves, maybe scoring a new girlfriend along the way? Can Joshua learn to look beyond himself and see the bigger picture? Should we expect any sort of substantial dramatic arc for any of these characters?

The answer to that last question, in the case of “F1: The Movie,” is a resounding “no.” And that’s perfectly fine — the film delivers the expected blockbuster goods (thrilling racing sequences, beautiful people looking cool, the cable-ready “Dad Movie” appeal).

What’s missing, though, is a tangible identity, rendering Kosinski’s film a well-oiled PR stunt for Formula One, and for Pitt himself, draped in appealing Hollywood sheen that remains undeniably easy to watch.

Pitt, like Tom Cruise, is a bonafide movie star, and “F1: The Movie” gives him plenty of opportunities to look like a badass and inject some verve into Ehren Kruger’s earnest and cornball screenplay. Pitt brings a weathered melancholy that suits Sonny’s character well. Bad Boy instincts collide with self-doubt and a spiritual emptiness that only resolves behind the wheel. 

If only Kosinski and Kruger were willing to swerve in more interesting directions with his character. “F1: The Movie” is largely content to go through the motions, brushing over some potentially compelling yet unexplored aspects of Sonny while painting some uncomfortable parallels between Sonny’s controversial history and Pitt’s own. Indeed, one wonders if the requisite victory at the film’s conclusion is actually for Sonny or for Pitt.

The rest of the ensemble brings requisite charm — especially Condon and Sarah Niles as Joshua’s mother. However, the actors can only do so much with characters more resembling cutouts than three-dimensional people.

Idris embodies Joshua’s swagger and egotism effectively, but“F1: The Movie” still paints Joshua’s story in broad strokes, often undercutting character development through music video-esque montages backed by Hans Zimmer’s (admittedly invigorating) techno score.

Fortunately, most viewers go into “F1: The Movie” looking for spectacular racing sequences, and Kosinski — partnering again with cinematographer Claudio Miranda — does not disappoint.

The film’s races (mini stories themselves within the larger narrative) were filmed during actual Formula One races, with Pitt and Idris behind the wheel, and with a new camera system pioneered by Miranda that puts viewers in the cockpit with them, aiming to capture an unmatched sense of speed and immersion. 

This succeeds, for the most part, although Stephen Mirrione’s editing cuts from shot to shot with a tempo that prevents us from fully getting into drivers’ headspaces. The near-constant racing commentary and reaction shots (outright explaining what’s happening on-track, along with some “interesting” intricacies of the sport) also break up the action to a distracting degree, falling into workmanlike tropes that pull away from the film’s experiential achievements. Still, it’s enjoyable to watch these sequences in a theater — in a handful of scattered moments, “F1: The Movie” roars like summer blockbusters should.

Yet Kosinski’s film couldn’t exactly be called “memorable,” nor particularly successful aside from its technical prowess. “F1: The Movie” ultimately lacks what “Top Gun: Maverick” has in spades: heart.

“F1: The Movie” is a 2025 sports action drama directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Shea Wigham, Tobias Menzies, Samson Kayo, and Sarah Niles. It is rated PG-13 for strong language and action and its runtime is 2 hours 35 minutes. It opened in theatres June 27. Alex‘s Grade: C+  

‘F1: The Movie’ Spotlights the ‘Need for Speed’ Breed in Action Spectacle

‘F1: The Movie’ Spotlights the ‘Need for Speed’ Breed in Action Spectacle

By Lynn Venhaus

The star power of Brad Pitt combines with the adrenaline rush of Formula 1 racing for an entertaining but strictly-by-the-numbers summer blockbuster.

The turbo-charged technical mastery lifts “F1: The Movie” as a classic underdog-redemption sports drama that follows a standard, if formulaic, template. The thinly written story offers little surprise amidst the turmoil of risk vs. reward, a grizzled veteran clashing with a cocky kid, and whether fun or finance should be the prevailing motivator.

The story follows Sonny Hays (Brad Pitt) as a former Formula 1 driver who is convinced to come out of retirement by his old pal Ruben (Javier Bardem), now owner of a struggling Formula 1 team, to mentor a hotshot rookie Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). It’s 30 years later and the road to redemption is a rocky one.

A sterling cast supports this star vehicle, and brings authenticity to their roles, which makes it watchable. Oscar winner Javier Bardem is his customary captivating self as APXgp team owner Ruben Cervantes while Oscar nominee Kerry Condon plays Kate McKenna, a smart, feisty technical director whose knowledge of physics has served her well in aeronautics and racing.

Damson Idris fits the promising young talent mold, and while there are many supporting players, Tobias Menzies is memorable as board member Peter Banning, Samson Kayo is Pearce’s manager, and Sarah Niles is a charmer as Joshua’s mother Bernadette. (If you know you’ve seen her but can’t quite place where, she played Ted Lasso’s therapist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone (and scored two Emmy nominations).

Director Joseph Kosinski, who helmed the crowd-pleasing “Top Gun: Maverick” two summers ago, must have been so focused on capturing the thrills that he neglected the emotional sustenance that strong storytelling provides.

He and screenwriter Ehren Kruger, Oscar nominees for the “Top Gun: Maverick” adapted screenplay, collaborated on the cliché-riddled story, which is disappointingly predictable. Kruger, who wrote the “Transformers” sequels, should know his way around a blockbuster.

Nevertheless, the likeable actors are invested in the intensity of these athletes in training and competition.

 Those unfamiliar with the professional auto racing circuit will get a stunning glimpse of fancy racetracks around the world.

Is Sonny Gray a has-been or a never-was? Oscar winner Pitt, now 61, is in his element playing this once-promising hotshot who lost his mojo after a horrific crash and wound up never jump-starting his career.

Pitt is always at his best when he’s a tarnished golden boy. He suits the role of a lone wolf beaten down by life. Through his subtle expressions, you can tell this weathered guy, who is now a racer-for-hire living out of his camper van, has emerged sadder and wiser from Hard Knocks University.

He still tries to be relevant after learning harsh life lessons. With a tawdry laundry list of mistakes made either by gambling or from bad romances (three failed marriages), Sonny seeks another chance to get it right.

Sound familiar? Absolutely. Pitt’s Sonny works his unconventional maverick confidence but also carries around a lot of baggage. He shrugs, he swaggers, he says pithy phrases that motivate people — or quickly shuts them down. A man in motion, he runs – and inspires others.

He’s a betting man, but would he bet on himself?

The movies “Grand Prix” in 1966 and “Le Mans” in 1971 established racing as a compelling action-adventure, even with what was considered state-of-the-art back then, and then “Rush” in 2013 and “Ford v Ferrari” in 2019 surpassed them with high-stakes racing.

This has an old-school escapist feel, although the modern scenario is never in doubt, with social media ‘engagement,’ cell phone usage, and the wall-to-wall product placement palooza.

Cinematographer Claudio Miranda, who last shot the shimmering seascapes of “Nyad,” captured the dizzying spectacle while editor Stephen Mirrione ramped up the stakes and the suspense, heightened by Hans Zimmer’s propulsive score.

Overlong at 2 hours and 35 minutes, you’ll feel like you’ve been driving all night on a road trip. Sure, the action is zippy and immersive. But “F1: The Movie” unfortunately doesn’t have the oomph in the surrounding story on the same level as the vroom-vroom zooming.

“F1: The Movie” is a 2025 sports action drama directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Shea Wigham, Tobias Menzies, Samson Kayo, and Sarah Niles. It is rated PG-13 for strong language and action and its runtime is 2 hours 35 minutes. It opened in theatres June 27. Lynn’s Grade: B-.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Packs a Visceral and Emotional Punch

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Packs a Visceral and Emotional Punch

By Alex McPherson

Director Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick” surpasses the 1986 original to soar among 2022’s most satisfying efforts thus far.

Taking place over three decades later, viewers are reunited with Navy aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who has since avoided promotion to keep flying as a test pilot. Continuing to mourn and feel guilt over the death of his best friend, Goose (Anthony Edwards), there’s an air of melancholy surrounding Maverick, but his penchant for rebelliousness continues in full force.

Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain (a scenery-chewing Ed Harris) informs Maverick that drones will soon replace flesh-and-blood pilots. Maverick, trying to once again prove himself and save his program, pushes a prototype jet beyond Mach-10, becoming the fastest man alive before plummeting back to the land of mere mortals in a violent fireball. Somehow he emerges to live, and fly, another day.

Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer, truly impactful in his short screen-time) saves Maverick from being permanently grounded and requests his return to the Top Gun school in San Diego to train a new batch of aviators for a “New Hope”-esque bombing run against an unnamed foreign enemy.

The group, mostly simple characterizations, includes a badass woman pilot “Phoenix” (Monica Barbaro), a soft-spoken lad with the call sign “Bob” (Lewis Pullman), and a macho show-off named “Hangman” (Glen Powell), echoing a young “Iceman,” among others. Maverick is constantly watched over by Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson (Jon Hamm), who’s none too pleased with Maverick’s unconventional methods. 

Miles Teller

Crucially, however, Goose’s son, “Rooster” (Miles Teller, with a mustache channeling Goose’s), joins the team, carrying palpable resentment towards Maverick, whom he deems responsible for his father’s untimely demise. Maverick reunites with a long-ago lover, the beautiful Penny (Jennifer Connelly) — with nary a mention of Kelly McGillis’s Charlie — and gradually begins to recognize the appeal of leading a more “normal” existence. Tensions are high, the stakes are real, and Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past to make it out alive and reach some semblance of inner peace before he signs off for good.

Quite unexpectedly, there’s far more thematic meat to chew in “Top Gun: Maverick” than viewers might expect. But those looking for a pure shot of cinematic adrenaline won’t be disappointed either. Kosinski achieves a near-perfect balance between tongue-in-cheek popcorn thrills, nostalgic callbacks, and deeper nuance — extending beyond Maverick to comment on Cruise’s own acting career, as well the state of big-budget filmmaking today.

“Top Gun: Maverick” features one of Cruise’s all-time best performances, capturing both the character’s courageousness and newfound fearfulness at his position in the world and with the treacherous mission he’s preparing to guide. The way he carries himself throughout his old hunting grounds lacks the upbeat bounce it used to — replaced by an awareness of his own age and mortality, the sense that this once-invincible daredevil can’t be around forever. Indeed, neither can Cruise as an actor: one of the last movie stars who literally risks his life for our enjoyment.

His conversations with Penny and Iceman, especially the latter, reveal a vulnerable soul unable to forgive himself and fully accept the passage of time — an unexpected narrative choice for a character originally drenched in macho masculinity. He’s still charming and capable of copious one-liners, but the added depth is much welcomed.

Val Kilmer as Admiral Thomas “Iceman” Kazansky

Maverick’s conflict with Rooster also hangs over the film, as Maverick deeply fears losing him to the same fate as his father. Teller’s performance conveys Rooster’s stubbornness, contempt, and own self-doubt. His arc, while predictable, hits home with force in the film’s absolutely electrifying final act.

Speaking of which, “Top Gun: Maverick” features some of the most mind-blowing set-pieces I’ve ever witnessed. Reportedly filmed in real planes with minimal VFX, cinematographer Claudio Miranda puts viewers right in the cockpit with the pilots, immersing us into all the high-flying maneuvers to staggering effect.

At one point, as Cruise flies straight upwards, we practically feel the G-forces along with him, our ears bombarded by thunderous engines. I cannot overstate just how incredible these sequences are, and how impressive it is that they’re filmed coherently. Whether or not stunt work like this can ever be recreated again — if we ever get away from CGI-infested superhero flicks — the craziness on display makes “Top Gun: Maverick” a spectacle that must be viewed on the big screen, preferably in IMAX. Similarly, the score by Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer, Hans Zimmer, and Lady Gaga deserves to be blared as loudly as possible.

Yes, Kosinski’s film certainly has its cheesy, soap-opera-esque flourishes — it is a sequel to “Top Gun” after all — and the film’s militarism remains blatant, albeit neutered this time around. Where things wrap up isn’t exactly surprising, and the sweaty, crimson-hued world seems (intentionally) separated from gritty reality.

Regardless, this is a pure, balls-to-the-wall action film that contains thought-provoking undercurrents beneath its crowd-pleasing sheen. It’s an experience that I’ll be revisiting frequently and one that reminds me of the power of the summer blockbuster.

“Top Gun: Maverick” is a 2022 action-adventure directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Monica Barbero and Val Kilmer. It is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action, and some strong language, and runs 2 hours, 10 minutes. The movie was released in theaters and IMAX on May 27. Alex’s Grade: A-.