Joseph Kosinksi’s latest flick, F1, is sure to be a hit this summer. Brad Pitt still being a sex symbol at the age of 61, fast cars whizzing around a racetrack, and a soaring Hams Zimmer score is formula pretty much guaranteed to get butts in seats. And once those butts are in said seats, they’ll understandably enjoy the conventions of this redemptive sports story.
The plot machinations are fairly straightforward. Sonny Hayes (Pitt) is an aging, but still capable race car driver relegated to running the graveyard shift at a 24-hour Daytona Motor Speedway race (amongst other odd job races, we’re led to assume), when an old friend, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), presents him with a chance to drive in the most prestigious motorsport competition on the globe – The Formula One Championship.
F1 is a movie designed to cynically capitalize on recent American interest in the sport. Coming off the back of Netflix’s wildly popular Drive to Survive series, Formula One viewership and fandom grew exponentially in the states over the last few years. So much so that three American based races have been added to the circuit – Las Vegas, Miami, and Austin. And now a major motion picture about it!
Although the film is in many ways a celebration of the beauty, grace, speed, and tenacity of Formula One racing, its central framing is puzzling if examined for even the briefest of moments. Yes, this is a Hollywood movie, made my American filmmakers, and designed for American audiences, but the good ole US of A exceptionalism on display is borderline laughable.
Pitt’s character, Hayes, is a brash renegade playing by his own rules. He shows up to his new Formula One team’s UK headquarters in boots and jeans. They even refer to him as a cowboy at one point. His sensibilities are as American as it gets.
The Formula One Championship Series on the other hand, is a wholly international enterprise. Many of the best racers are European, as are the best carmakers. Races occur everywhere from Mexico City to Zandvoort (Netherlands), to Suzuka (Japan).
What F1 suggests is that Americans can easily conquer the sport should we chose to. We can show up like Sonny and dominate, because dammit, we’re the best.
Which isn’t all to say that I’m not fully on board with what this movie is about. I enjoy sticking it to snooty Europeans as much as the next guy. In the film (and in real life), race attendees and participants wear tailored suits and designer sunglasses. They drink champagne party with world famous DJs and supermodels. The world of Formula One is tainted by its own sense of arrogance.
Which is ever present in Hayes main foil, his new racing teammate – the up-and-coming rookie driver, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). Pearce and Hayes butt heads from the jump. Their differences ranging from old vs. young, American vs. British, and just about anything else you can think of. Early in the film, Pearce trains with high tech equipment, while Hayes sticks to running around the track and juggling tennis balls for his training.
The two butt heads, but Hayes proves to contain all of the necessary wisdom Pearce needs imparted on him in order to reach his full potential. By the end of the story, Pearce and the rest of the crew have fully adopted the gospel of Hayes. Again, reinforcing that casual sense of American exceptionalism. Of course the renegade cowboy’s way of doing things yields better results than the purported expert’s methodologies.
Little to none of the tension of racing scenes is derived from how they’re shot or edited. The most enticing racing scene happens to be the opening Daytona sequence. Perhaps stock car racing is inherently more cinematic (another big win for The States, baby).
The real beauty of that opening scene is the attention paid to the sound mix. A movie about racing absolutely needs incredible sound design. In that scene crowd noise, character dialogue, an incredible “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin needle drop, the humming of car engines, and even fireworks are all mixed together masterfully.
It provided hope that the rest of the movie would include similarly inspired mixes. Unfortunately, none of the other races fully live up to that hype. Which isn’t to say that the film is entirely without moments of genuine dramatic tension. Ehren Kruger’s script is tight and fluid.
Despite some corny and predictable lines of dialogue, the story builds and moves along in a steady manner. We also maybe could’ve done without the romantic storyline with the Kate McKenna character. Although Kerry Condon is as delightful as ever in the role.
Obviously pulling from films like Days of Thunder (also produced by Jerry Bruckheimer) and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (oddly enough), F1 is a solid entry in the racing film canon. Its sensibilities are easy, it has a killer soundtrack, and the cameos from real life Formula One drivers will excite old and new fans of the racing series.
Plus, you know, Brad Pitt is still sexy as hell.
