F1: Boomer Propaganda

I think it was around the third shirtless Brad Pitt scene, being clearly goaded into being thirsty instead of entertained (which almost worked), that I realised that the entire device of Brad Pitt in this film was wish fulfilment for Boomer men.

There are many good reasons for a film like this to exist - granted, maybe without the guy that abused his wife and kids at the helm - and I'm not against giving Boomer men something to get out of bed for, I know it's been so tough for them for a really long time. However - beyond this, and the glossy visuals, I was struggling to find a through line that made any sense to 2025.

(I am also trying very hard not to dunk on Pitt, the foremost White Man consistently funding and producing Black films over the past 10 years, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I'll turn on Tyler Perry if I have to, and did - my ethics are my ethics.)

For a blockbuster it was solid; for a racing movie it was lacking, in my opinion as a connoisseur of the form; but for a hot hunks dealing with difficult circumstances movie, it delivered in spades. The Javier Bardem of it all was a particularly welcome addition of eye candy.

However - that seems to be as far as the road goes. A very pretty film that drives in circles. Putting aside the abuser in the lead role, and the complete erasure of Simone Ashley from the plot line - this film was already a big ask, that had a lot to cover. It has about as much on its shoulders as Barbie did - but came out with much less impressive results. I can't fault the visual style, or the logic of the entire plot - and I know that, for the blockbuster form, it's difficult to take too many risks. However, with the advent of risk-taking in Blockbusters and Indies in the past few years, this film didn't have any grip on its tires.

Yes, it tempted me with hot guys - Damson Idris looking particularly fine in 4k on a cinema screen - but I was waiting for the moment this film gave us more than "Ya gotta learn from the old-heads" conservatism which has become a yawn fest in modern cinema for the last few years.

Older men making movies about older men realising they're old, and desperately trying to reclaim the glory – one more chance at the big time. There are no new stories under the sun - but I have to say, the pages are getting way too ratty on this one.