Pitt’s ‘F1®’ Goes the Full ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
You’d think Hollywood studios would have rushed to clone “Top Gun: Maverick” after it crushed the competition in 2022.
Wrong.
It took that film’s director, Joseph Kosinski, to do the honors.
Once again we get an older, battle-tested soul locking horns with a Gen Z rival. He once stood atop his profession, but now he’s desperate for one last chance at redemption.
There’s even a love interest who might just make our hero a better man.
Brad Pitt’s “F1®” echoes the 2022 smash in ways large and small. It’s a shame it comes up short, but what’s left is an example of Hollywood storytelling at its summer movie peak.
Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a veteran racer lured back to the Formula 1 circuit by his pal, Ruben (Javier Barden). Sonny is old school to the core and doesn’t play by the rules.
Shocking, we know.
He also clashes with his new team’s wunderkind (Damson Idris). Joshua Pearce has no time for the old man, though, and Sonny cares more about adrenaline than being part of a team.
You might say he feels the need for speed.
Sonny and Joshua bump heads and egos, and their team struggles to make its mark in the circuit. Ruben could lose his investment as a result, another weight dropped on Sonny’s shoulders.
The racers’ dueling styles slowly fall into a rhythm, and suddenly their team is a threat to the competition.
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“F1®” doesn’t offer up a mustache-twirling rival driver, but otherwise it hews close to the Hollywood formula. Lessons will be learned. Races will be won. And Sonny will turn the head of the team’s brainy tech guru (Kerry Condon).
Their courtship gives the film a welcome spark, but at a certain point, the film pushes it to the background. Bad move.
Kosinsky’s flare for crowd-pleasing bits is second to none, and his technical prowess falls into the same category. The film’s editing is as slick as the cars, even during exchanges in the pit. That boosts both the racing scenes and the agreeable blasts of comic relief.
Hans Zimmer’s propulsive score makes everything go down smoothly.
And that’s good because “F1®” has no business being north of two and a half hours long. The story arcs don’t demand all that screen time, and the agreeable screenplay quickly falls back on sports movie cliches.
“F1®” is never dull, though, and there’s always another race to pick up the pace.
Those unfamiliar with Formula One racing will get a partial education in between Pitt’s star-wattage display. The pit crew and racing announcers fill in as many gaps as possible, but some will still scratch their heads.
The early scenes take us into the rarified air of the sport. You can practically smell the burned tires and gasoline. That behind-the-scenes aura fades as the story progresses, another unforced error.
The opening sequence puts us in the car with Pitt, and the visuals stun (especially in the IMAX format). We’re treated to so many competitions, though, that they start to lose their luster.
Less is almost always more.
The same holds true for “F1®.” Trim it down to a tight two hours and you’ve got a near-perfect blast of forgettable summer movie fun. As is, it’s a reminder that “Maverick” blueprint worked for a very good reason in our post-pandemic world.
HiT or Miss: “F1®” offers Brad Pitt at his movie-star peak and a story that takes too long to reach the finish line.
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