F1, starring Brad Pitt, comes roaring down Main Street to the historic Jones theater this weekend. The title of course is a reference to Formula 1 racing, a revered sport followed intensely by millions of fans worldwide, many of whom can recite drivÂers and cars like they were family members and possessions.
Some fascinating things have been said about this immensely popular film. For example, âSome of the core values of the movie, like the dynamic between the teammates, are very well portrayed. The stakes, as a driver, [of] carrying the responsibility of a thousand people workÂing in a team⊠it’s a sport where you put [it] all out [there], but you’re not always rewarded on the track if the car doesn’t perform. That’s very well showedâŠA lot of other moments [in F1] will be purely boringâŠYou sit down behind a computer and look at data and make decisions based on that. Then, you go back in the car and push it to the limit ⊠they showed both sides of [the sport] in a very smart way.â
And this: âIf you’re not in the grandÂstand or on the track as a photographer or a marshal, you can’t really feel that speed when you watch it on TV. You see that we are very quick, weâre going fast in the cornersâbut you canât feel that adrenaÂline weâve got. You canât feel that sound, vibrations, and all those things that we are actually feelingâŠI think the movie was a great way to put a lot together to bring to the fans. The camera angles, the ways they were filming the races, and the ways they managed to recreate some scenes are very special and very unique.â
Now whatâs so significant about these comments is that they were made, respecÂtively, by Pierre Gasley and Franco ColapÂinto, both of whom are professional F1 drivers and appear in the film racing in actual F1 events from the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
So, we are foregoing professional film criticsâ commentaries this week, and listenÂing more to the folks who know experienÂtially what theyâre talking about.
Gasley and Colapinto are only two voices in the discussion about the realism of the film that also has some non-driver detractors. Weâre sticking with the drivers, 25 of whom appear in the film, driving. One cannot contest the ârealismâ of the film, when some footage comes from actual events. It matters too, that one of the filmâs producers is the fabled Lewis Hamilton, seven-time World Champion.
The plot line and romance? Those are other factors that remind us it is a Hollywood movie after all, and the film narrative really wouldnât ordinarily unwind in a typical F1 season. And F1 wasnât primarily designed and produced to create new fans and drivÂers for the sport, although it may do so. It was designed and produced to do exactly what it has accomplished since it’s late June releaseâto be an entertaining, thrilling summer blockbuster focused on a sport that already has an established fan base. Realism and Hollywood get along just fine when the framework is honored by both.
So drive, in your case, slowly down Main Street for this two and a half-hour PG-13 speedster of a movie. Doors open 30 minutes before Fridayâs and Saturdayâs 7:00 p.m. showings, and Sunday, July 20âs 2:00 p.m. matineĂ© showing. The tickets for admission at the door are so modestly priced youâll imagine youâve just breezed through a financially rewarding F1 race as a winner.
Enjoy!
â W.A. Ewing
