(Photo Credit: Apple Original Films and Warner Bros. Pictures)
(“F1: The Movie” trailer courtesy of Warner Bros.)
“F1: The Movie” starring Brad Pitt (“Bullet Train”) and Damson Idris (“Snowfall”) is freaking exhilarating.
The racecar movie contains the formula that many sports movies have.
But it is more than that because of the pulsating sounds and riveting camera work that will transport audiences from a movie theater onto the tracks of various motor speedways around the globe.
One of the most popular topics on social media is the biggest what-ifs in sports.
No matter the sport, there are those potential stars who never quite got the shine that many pundits and fans expected.
Basketball has Ben Wilson, Hank Gathers, Reggie Lewis and Drazen Petrovic.
Football has Marcus Dupree, Jerome Brown and Ernie Davis.
And many Houston Astros baseball fans still lament what pitcher J.R. Richard might have become if team brass had taken his complaints of physical discomfort seriously and he had not suffered a career-altering stroke in the Astrodome in 1980.
But what-ifs hit differently when an athlete failed to reach their potential because of their own choices and demons, like 1986 Boston Celtics draft pick Len Bias.
The star college forward died a couple of days after the draft from a cocaine overdose.
While racecar driver Sonny Hayes’ (Pitt) story is not as tragic, it is still one of those “greatest that never was” sports stories like Dupree, who had his saga immortalized in an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary.
Back in the 1990s, Sonny was on the verge of becoming the man in speed racing.
While flashes of brilliance were there, Sonny never put the total package together, failing to live up to the lofty expectations he and others placed on him.
Instead of wealth and fame, Sonny received life in a van and infamy.
While other racecar drivers relished their success, Sonny became a professional gambler and a notorious womanizer, accumulating more divorces than driving trophies.
However, for a moment, Sonny becomes another legendary sports figure with a less tragic story.
Decades after his heyday, Sonny musters some of that youthful talent and wins the Daytona 500, reminiscent of George Foreman knocking out the much younger Michael Moorer for the heavyweight title in his 40s.
Sonny’s fountain of youth moment in “F1: The Movie” draws the attention of a former competitor-turned-team owner, Ruben (Javier Bardem, “Dune: Part II).
In “F1: The Movie,” Ruben might lose ownership of his team if some improvements do not happen quickly.
A rule exists in Formula 1 Racing that if a team does not win any race within a certain amount of time, the league could force a sale.
Ruben’s team is like the 2024-25 Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association.
They have young talent like Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.
But they also have players with maturity issues.
As a result, they might need an old star like Kevin “KD” Durant to add to the roster to get much-needed crunch-time baskets.
In “F1: The Movie,” Ruben sees Sonny as the “KD” type, even though some in the racing world, and on his team for that matter, believe Father Time’s time has passed.
Joshua Pearce (Idris) is the Green of his racing team in “F1: The Movie.”
J.P., as Sonny calls him, much to the chagrin of Josh, has all the talent in the world.
However, he has yet to put it all together to become a champion.
Thanks to his manager Cashman (Samson Kayo), Josh seems more concerned with his fame and social media following than racing.
But if the team is sold, they might clean house.
And if the team cleans house, there is no guarantee that the young phenom will find another team because most already have completed rosters.
But can the team coexist with the generational divide between Sonny and Josh?
They might have to if one is to live up to the hype and the other is to reclaim glory lost many years ago.
In a lot of ways, “F1: The Movie” is just like any other sports flick.
The movie contains the requisite cast of characters who do not get along.
It has its requisite adversity in the field of battle.
And it has its ultimate conclusion, good or bad.
But what filmmaker Joseph Kosinski has accomplished with “F1: The Movie” is transport audiences to the track or the pit stop.
Some of the jargon used in “F1: The Movie” will go over the heads of many Formula 1 novices.
But even novices will leave the theater knowing more about the sport.
Kosinski might have even made new fans for the sport.
“F1: The Movie” feels like a race.
Moviegoers will feel every maneuver on the racetrack.
They will empathize with those athletes dedicated to this dangerous sport.
And they will cheer for their victory as if watching a real-life race.
Despite Kosinksi’s many accomplishments with “F1: The Movie,” he does make some missteps, like the photoshopped/altered magazine covers showing Sonny and Ruben as younger drivers.
Even with the advancements in technology, it still looks fake.
Additionally, every film with Pitt does not need women swooning over him.
Not hating.
Just stating facts.
But the victories within the movie far outweigh any losses.
Pitt is still box office, to quote famed ESPN sports commentator Stephen A. Smith.
And Idris is one of Hollywood’s brightest young lights, who will shine for many decades to come with his talent, charm and charisma.
In “F1: The Movie,” the old school (Pitt) and the new school (Idris) team up for a pulsating ride that also packs some fun and wisdom.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
