January 27, 2025
The Movie Of A Lifetime
Dear Readers,
F1: The Movie is a fast paced movie about Sonny Hayes, a “has been, never was” car racer who is enticed to participate in the last nine races of a F1 season. It is produced by Joseph Kosinski, Lewis Hamilton, and Jerry Bruckheimer, among others. The film stars Brad Pitt (Sonny Hayes), and Damson Idris (Joshua Pearce), and it follows these characters, their crew, and managers through a series of difficult and sometimes disastrous races. Racing is presented as a metaphor for life. The movie explores themes including teamwork, motivation, and resilience. Ultimately, obstacles are overcome and the audience is left smiling in response to the question, “What is it all about?”
F1: The Movie has a thrilling plot. The plot is fast paced and the characters are well developed. The movie begins with Ruben Cervantes, a current owner of F1 team APX GP, approaching Sonny in a laundromat. Ruben is $350 million in debt, his team has lost race after race and is in desperate need of an experienced driver and mentor for the team’s rookie driver, Joshua Pearce (JP). We soon learn that Sonny Hayes, a former teammate of Ruben’s, has taken a 30 year break from racing due to a terrible crash that ended his once promising young racing career. He has had multiple failed relationships, struggled with a gambling addiction, and has declared bankruptcy, only to have returned to racing shortly before Ruben's desperate ask. The members of APX GP are initially very skeptical of Sonny, especially his co-racer, JP, a social media influencer who has lots to learn on and off the track. The races that follow Sonny’s arrival are disastrous, ending in losses and crashes that are caused by a lack of teamwork. As the movie progresses, Sonny’s love for racing helps him to develop bonds with teammates and he commits himself to helping JP and APX GP to win. Sonny helps Kate McKenna, the technical director of the team to improve the design of the car, and the team seems primed for success, only to suffer further setbacks in the form of a board member’s deceit and a crash that puts Sonny in the hospital. However, in the end, Sonny and JP work together to secure a victory for APX GP in the final race of the season.
Sonny’s character is very likable. He is rough around the edges and he’s been through hard times but he’s a good guy. During the movie, Sonny demonstrates resilience, leadership, teamwork, and motivation. We learn that Sonny’s initial accident was physically and emotionally devastating, but Sonny recovered, and returned to his passion, racing. Throughout the movie, Sonny develops as a leader, he is a good role model for JP, who he teaches to focus on what matters and avoid the “noise”. Sonny is kind to the people who are usually unrecognized. He takes the pit crew for runs around the racing track, which tightens their bonds and makes them a cohesive team. He encourages what life is all about, finding and pursuing one's passion. Everybody has a passion which motivates them. After another accident, Sonny is determined to race again, and the movie encourages its viewers to chase their own dreams, “If the last thing I do is drive that car, I will take that life man… A thousand times.” For Sonny racing is life. Every time Sonny gets in the car he searches for the moment where he is “flying”, which is when Sonny forgets everything but racing. This movie is great because of the way it explores universal themes that tugged at my heart.
F1: The Movie reminds me of Ted Lasso and Top Gun Maverick, with its heart warming themes of resilience and teamwork. If Ted Lasso could be summarized by the quote, "football is life”, F1: The Movie could be summarized by “racing is life”. F1: The Movie and Top Gun Maverick both are fast and thrilling with superb high stakes racing scenes. You won’t want to miss this movie!
