F1 is the most exhilarating movie I've seen all year, but also the most derivative. It's essentially a carbon copy of Top Gun: Maverick, with cars instead of jets. An ungenerous reading would be that Ehren Kruger simply did a Find & Replace on his own script. But that's not entirely fair to a movie that's more than the sum of its parts.
Brad Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a nomadic driver with no attachments and a penchant for skirting the rules. He's offered some stability and a fat paycheck from his old racing partner Ruben (Javier Bardem), whose team is on the verge of being sold after consistent bottom finishes. Though Sonny hasn't driven Formula One since a wreck ended his career decades ago, he of course is just the wild card Apex GP needs to start getting noticed.
Of course the team's star is a young hotshot (Damson Idris) who has a ton of talent but zero discipline, and is constantly pressured to "build his brand" instead of hone his craft. Will these two butt heads and try to show each other up on the track? And will they eventually come to respect each other and learn from one another? Obviously.
But as the late Roger Ebert once said: "It's not what a movie's about; it's how it's about it. And the immense talent in front of – and especially behind – the camera make for one of the most electrifying times you'll have at the movies all year. From the incredible sound design to the smooth film editing to the stunning cinematography, these folks are at the tops of their games, delivering a technical presentation that's pretty much flawless.
While Pitt and Idris have the star power required for the two leads, the film also has a stacked supporting cast. Kerry Condon brings some Irish sass as the team's technical director, whose intelligence and dedication attracts Sonny. Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve) is sturdy as the flustered team principal. And Tobias Menzies (The Crown) is perfectly disarming as a team investor with his own agenda.
From the moment Sonny straps into a race car while Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" blasts from the speakers, I had a big stupid grin on my face. That lasted through the end credits, even when the film strained credulity. Unlike other blockbusters this summer that have the weight of ending or starting franchises, F1 delivers exactly what it's supposed to: a perfectly built thrill ride.
