I saw it Friday. I give it 6/10. The script is worthless (it's a Jerry Bruckheimer production, after all.) The racing scenes are very well filmed. 50% of the F1 content is close to reality, the other 50% is pure fantasy. But it's a fictional story, after all, so I can forget the sometimes absurd aspects of the story. Pitt plays the only character he always plays: himself. There are some funny cameos by Gunther Steiner, Fernando Alonso and Toto Wolff. Overall, the real world of F1 (real drivers, tracks, cars, etc.) is very well integrated in the story. However, the portrayal of IMSA racing in the first scene is really dishonest, almost insulting. Is it better than "Grand Prix":? No. Is it better than "Driven"? Well, everything is better than "Driven"!! Seriously, it's not a disaster, but it's not a great movie either. It's pretty much what I expected.
I really enjoyed the film. I was willing to suspend disbelief regarding both the way a Formula 1 team likely interacts, the quite hilarious view of how a car is developed Spoiler: detail from film - a system for the handling of turbulent 'dirty' air was a mere suggestion away from being developed "Have you thought about handling dirty air?" "Why no! But I made changes and now the car is faster than all the other cars in all scenarios" - and I personally really enjoyed the IMSA introduction. I understand that it had to be presented as though it's a bit more 'cowboy' than F1 because otherwise the distinction would not be able to play its necessary role as a device in the story - but I really enjoyed the IMSA racing section (and it made it seem WAY cooler than the F1, which is already how I feel about it). Spoiler: detail about IMSA section The most realistic part is that that Turner BMW appears to cause problems for whatever driver I'm rooting for (If I remember correctly, it blocked Sebastien Bourdais from an overtake at Sebring last year into the last turn before the straight) And, something I think is VERY important, I didn't notice ANY scenes like you get in almost all other racing films, which is that scene where the hero is being caught up by some antagonist, and that in order to solve the problem, he does what we all do in such a situation, which is to remember to change gear and just go way faster. 8/10 would suspend disbelief again Whilst I can guess at what annoyed you about the IMSA scene, I'd be interested to hear more of your opinion!
Yes, the most annoying cliché of the racing movie, the shot of the driver shifting gear and going instantly 50 kph faster was not in the movie, thankfully. I guess it's because drivers now use paddles to shift gear. What I didn't like about the IMSA scene was: 1-The racing was portrayed like it was a NASCAR race, which drivers running into each other at high speed. Also, the Daytona 24 is an endurance race, you have to take care of the car to make it to the end. In the movie, it looked like a sprint to the finish. 2-The team manager *smoking* on pit lane? I can accept a little suspension of disbelief, but this? Give me an effin' break! 3-Brad Pitt sleeping in his crappy camper car in the garage area? Again, more redneck crap. 4-Brad Pitt wins the Daytona 24h and doesn't give a f**k about it. He doesn't want the Rolex watch? (Does he know how much these things are worth? He insists on getting his 5000$ bonus, but doesn't take the watch?) And he leaves as if that win didn't matter one bit. I'm pretty sure every driver who wins a 24h race is really thrilled and feels he has accomplished something important. And it *is* a big deal to win the Daytona 24h. But in the movie, it looks like he has won a dirt race in Mobile, Alabama. I get that the producers wanted to make a clear distinction between F1 and IMSA, but they could have done that without making IMSA, a series I really like, look "3rd rate". It felt more like an ARCA race at times. I completely agree with you on the rest. It's a pretty good summer movie, if you don't care about plausibility and if you are ok with one movie cliché after another, every 2 minutes.
the one thing that they missed in the essence of the IMSA weathertech sportscar championship is, of course, too many safety cars. But, that is APPARENTLY not riveting filmmaking. beats me why
I have not seen the movie yet, I'll likely wait for a streaming service to pick it up. It seems IMSA has no issues with how they were depicted based on the newsletter article they emailed me. It May Be F1 The Movie, But IMSA Guest Stars | IMSA
I'm pretty sure they're happy about the exposure. As they should be. I'm sure the vast majority of movie goers have never of IMSA.
