Brad Pitt moseys into “F1: The Movie” like a cowboy, rocking jeans, smirk and devil-may-care attitude. This dude, however, is more into horsepower than actual horses.
As an aging wheelman-for-hire on an underdog racing team, Pitt brings plenty of personality – and vroom-vroom steeliness – to the on-the-track thrills of the crowd-pleasing if mildly predictable “F1” (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters June 27).
Director Joseph Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the brain trust of “Top Gun: Maverick,” harness that same need for speed here as the immersive world of Formula 1 races into view in blistering fashion. Hairpin turns and stressful pit stops go a long way toward entertaining F1 fans and neophytes alike, though melodrama and a bloated run time put the brakes on what should be a film that zips.
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After pulling the midnight shift on a 24-hour race and winning at Daytona, Sonny Hayes (Pitt) rolls out to the next driving gig in his minibus – as long as it’s got an engine and a steering column, he’s game. At a rando laundromat, he’s tracked down and recruited by his old teammate Ruben (Javier Bardem), whose Apex racing team is one of the worst in F1 and hasn’t won a point in two-and-a-half years. That and the fact Ruben is $350 million in the hole spells pink slips for him, drivers and crew alike barring a miracle.
