‘F1’ puts you in the driver’s seat

Brad Pitt’s racing movie is a sleek entertainment machine

In “F1: The Movie,” Brad Pitt plays Brad Pitt. Well, ostensibly, he is playing Sonny Hayes, a washed up former racing legend given one last unlikely shot at glory. But, of course, he’s really Brad Pitt, still playing his surfer-boy machismo to the hilt at 61. Director Joseph Kosinski takes every opportunity to bathe his movie star’s impossible handsomeness, only somewhat weathered by time, in heroic golden light.

The only thing prettier than Pitt are the cars, gleaming machines that weave and bob for position as they slice down (and, too often, off) the track. Put it all together with some nail-biting race scenes, and “F1” is a gorgeous movie to immerse yourself in, leaning into the cliches of the sports movie in familiar but satisfying ways. Like the F1 cars themselves hugging the track, the movie knows exactly where we want it to go, and gets there fast.

Sonny was a phenom in the ‘90s (the de-aging of Pitt in old footage is surprisingly convincing) until a bad accident broke his spirit and sent him on a decades-long spinout into gambling, failed marriages, and literally living out of a van down by the river.

But even Sonny makes failure look cool. In the opening scene, he’s taking the night shift at 24 Hours of Daytona, winning the race for his team as fireworks explode over the track and “Whole Lotta Love” rips on the soundtrack. He takes the paycheck, but leaves the trophy behind. (No room in the van, probably.)

Then he gets an offer from his old racing buddy, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem). Ruben now runs the worst team in F1 racing, and asks Sonny to come in and salvage the rest of the season before the board of directors cans him. Sonny is partnered with a young racer, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), who is every bit the impulsive hothead that Sonny once was.

You know where this is going. Sonny and Joshua butt heads on and off the track, but the wily veteran slowly bends the team to his more smashmouth way of racing. The racing scenes are incredible, seamlessly blending actual F1 footage with close-ups of the actors behind the wheel, so close we can see them wince. It’s exciting stuff – the divots in my palm from my wife’s fingernails have nearly healed by now.

The screenplay by Kosinski and Ehren Kruger also does a good job teaching us about the strategies of F1 racing, and that it’s more than just about driving fast and jockeying for position, but about what tires to use and when it’s best to take a pit stop or go for one more lap. Of course, if we can’t quite follow what’s going on, we can always keep up through the emotional reaction shots of the trackside team, which include Kerry Condon as the team’s tech director. They’re cheering, so it must be good! They’re holding their hands over their mouths, so it must be bad!

The movie that “F1” most resembles is Kosinski’s last film, “Top Gun: Maverick,” another story of an old dog teaching the young’uns some new tricks. That movie was clearly superior, in part because it wasn’t afraid to lean into its emotions a little more, get a little weepy amid the action.

“F1,” by comparison, glides along the surface. The few moments that Sonny lets his swaggering guard down and reveals his inner turmoil don’t quite land. But I don’t know how much we want to see Brad Pitt be vulnerable, anyway. He’s having a ball out there, and, for the most part, so are we.

“F1” opens today in theaters. In Madison, it’s playing at Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, AMC Fitchburg 18 and Flix Brewhouse Madison.