F1: THE MOVIE is a 2025 sports film written by Ehren Kruger and directed by Joseph Kosinski. The film taught me not to judge a book by its cover, or rather, a movie by its trailer. I had seen this trailer leading up to its release and could not find a single ounce of interest in it. I had heard rave reviews from a friend of mine and decided to see it as a double feature with I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. While I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER was… questionable, the night quickly turned around after watching F1: THE MOVIE. The night was filled with anticipation, laughter, tears, and a complete and total buy-in to this world.
I have never shown interest in sports or sports films… ever. However, F1 not only sparked my interest in the concept of Formula 1 racing in the movie world, but also made me genuinely excited about the possibility of following real-life races. As someone who has a massive disconnect with sports, this was a pretty powerful turn. The film is incredibly engaging from both a visual and written perspective. The racing scenes are invigorating; both times I watched this film, I sat pretty close to the screen and felt as if I were in the driver’s seat. Even the montage scenes of characters preparing for the races has just as much energy as the actual “action” moments.
I loved the music and have found myself listening to some of the songs outside of the theater. It immerses you in the world of the film, making you feel like you’re on the same level as these drivers. I liked the transformation of Oldies music into Modern electronic-pop, mimicking the immersion of Sonny Hayes into the world of Joshua Pearce. The film feels very atmospheric, crafting fantastic sets and scenes (I was actually in Las Vegas while they were doing the construction for the race track) to create a fully dimensional world. We do not feel like a 3rd party omniscient viewer, but rather like an unseen character experiencing these situations firsthand.
The whole cast is delightful, obviously this film was a vehicle (pun intended) for Brad Pitt, but his work does not outshine his co-stars such as Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Sarah Niles, and of course, Javier Bardem. The film produced by Apple bears striking similarities to TED LASSO, another one of their larger projects. If you haven’t watched TED LASSO, I couldn’t give it more praise. It is just a perfect show that captures every emotion of being a human. My reason for bringing this up besides the “dramaturgical” relations (thank you to Jeremy Strong for letting me add in my vocab word of the day) such as an American outsider coming into an underdog English team, the said English country doubting the decision and capabilities of the said American, a younger hotshot thinking he’s better than the veteran player (Roy Kent/Jamie Tartt vs. Sonny Hayes/Joshua Pearce), finding their common ground, themes of hope, and so on. I think the ensemble nature of these two projects is their most significant connection and where so much of the charm lies. That feeling of collective hard work and celebration, and getting to revel in it with friends and family, is touching to watch.
Ihave noticed myself repeating many of the same phrases this year when discussing new releases. I think that we’ve gotten so many gems, and that is one of the best problems to have. I would rather have too much competition where so many different artists get their work praised and rewarded than one “best” film that sweeps. I love debating whether this or SINNERS will win for best cinematography, whether Damson Idris will get a nomination, and who his competition will be. I love having access to so much good content that I get to dissect and find all the exact reasons I love it.
I saw the film about a month after its release, and both times it was almost sold out, something that is UNHEARD of for theatrical releases, much less that long after its release. My whole theater was intrigued, and their reactions were audible; you could feel the palpable buzz throughout the room during the tensest moments. I don’t often say that because I believe the magic of movies can be just as exciting on a phone or smaller device, if the viewer is willing to give it that focus and attention. Still, the fact that this movie will be viewed on something other than the big screen is… unbelievable to me. This is such an incredible experience that it deserves to be seen on a large screen. If you can watch it in theaters while it is still running, I beg you to seize that opportunity.
F1: THE MOVIE is now playing in theaters.
