F1

F1 (The Movie)

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

Brad Pitt saw what Tom Cruise did with TOP GUN: MAVERICK and wanted a slice. Dare I say, needed it. As our Golden Age of Movie Stars dies down for whatever it is you wanna call what we have now, the last pillars left want to continue making dents in the movie industry. A $300 million original movie doesn't get made with a nobody. You get Brad freaking Pitt to star as the aged out race car driver brought back into a failing team as one last desperate attempt to win a season. Hire the actual director of TOP GUN: MAVERICK Joseph Kosinski, and you've got DUDES ROCK - The Movie.

Newcomer Damson Idris plays the rookie driver butting heads with Pitt's "Sonny" character. Gorgeous and charismatic, he absolutely stands toe to toe with the screen legend. Will they learn to work together for the good of the team and maybe teach other some lessons along the way? I'll never tell. Equally as mysterious is whether Sonny will end up with the feisty Irish technical director played by Oscar nominee Kerry Condon ("you're all feckin' borin'!"). 

Understood that it's part of the character but Pitt is mostly kinda unlikable throughout and the film works despite his odd performance. At times phoned in and other times completely dialed in to his movie star charm. Javier Bardem as the team owner and old pals with Sonny is maybe the best part of the movie. Without chewing scenery or showboating he quietly steals every scene he's in.

Enough about the PEOPLE, what about the CARS? Simply put it's some of the best looking racing footage I've ever seen. I love the confidence Kosinski and his team have really solidified after the success of MAVERICK. This is peak summer blockbuster filmmaking, down to the epic soundtrack blasted throughout. 

The script is clunky, the star is fading (his fake hair extremely distracting) yet this some of the most fun I've had at the movies this year. I'm really excited to see what this director has up his sleeve next. (Top Gun 3? 🙏)

⭐⭐⭐1/2 out of 4