The Rewatchables — ‘F1’ (2025)

With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan
Podcast Date: December 23, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of The Rewatchables dives into "F1", Joseph Kosinski's blockbuster 2025 racing film starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. The hosts analyze its triumphant IMAX spectacle, classic sports movie tropes, Brad Pitt’s enduring star power, and the production challenges that made "F1" a modern moment for movies, Apple, and the genre itself.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. ‘F1’ as a Cinematic Event: The Ultimate Movie Theater Experience

• [04:09] Bill Simmons: "A good movie to end 2025 on too, because I do think this was the year we got sucked back into movie theaters... F1 was a great example. You had to see it on IMAX. It was fucking awesome."
  • This film, like "Top Gun: Maverick," ‘Sinners’, and ‘Conjuring: Last Rites’, demands the big screen, reviving theatrical attendance post-pandemic.
  • Watching with a live audience: “Nobody was on their phone the whole time... everyone was exhilarated.”
• The hosts agree that while the story might be "vapid," the thrill, technical wizardry, and emotional charge are undeniable.

2. Classic Sports Movie Tropes, Updated

• [13:55] Simmons runs down a checklist:
  • The "best that never was"
  • Old guy vs. new guy dynamic
  • Underdog teams, redemption arcs, the big crash, climactic race, and "the monologue" about chasing greatness.
  • CR adds: “It’s kind of Moneyball on steroids, about underdogs exploiting the margins.”
• [15:26] Van Lathan: Praises how the female lead avoids the usual "Adrian" role—she’s competent and compelling.

3. Brad Pitt: Star Power & Career Reflections

• [18:17] CR: “This is now a 35 year career. CR and yet I still feel like people would have Cruise above him. I even think people would have maybe Damon above him.”
• [19:20] Van: Brad Pitt “carved out a Brad Pitt thing that makes him incomparable to a lot of his contemporaries.”
  • Never attached to a decades-long character like Cruise (Ethan Hunt) or a single directorial muse.
  • Comparison of his "wilderness period" to that of Cruise, Damon.
• Hot take: [21:01] Did the Brangelina era sidetrack Pitt’s career?

4. Production Challenges and Jerry Bruckheimer’s Legacy

• [35:04] The hosts recount Bruckheimer’s five-decade run of hits—now culminating in ‘F1.’
• [36:11] “The amount of money that must have changed hands...the amount of negotiating...COVID restrictions and Jerry Bruckheimer’s got like fucking 15 new cameras inside of F1 cars.”
  • Bruckheimer’s relentless drive—"He calls movies ‘pictures.’"
  • Technical innovation, especially micro-cameras for dynamic racing shots ([36:11], [86:04]).
• [37:03] "This movie is really a monument to producing... you cannot see the seams."

5. F1 as Cultural Moment & Marketing Vehicle

• [61:03] The movie taps into the zeitgeist:
  • F1 racing as a global, celebrity-infused sport—America’s new "cosmopolitan badge" sport, akin to soccer’s Euro-cool cachet.
  • The movie’s seamless cross-platform marketing: box office hit AND Apple TV+ streaming juggernaut, helping Apple win the bid for actual F1 coverage.
• [39:06] Real F1 drivers play themselves; Lewis Hamilton as a creative consultant; aggressive product etiquette—“F1 propaganda,” but thrilling and effective.

6. The Damson Idris Factor (‘JP’): The Modern Prodigy Athlete

• [32:33] Van: “The movie assumes that you realize that it's tough for a kid coming from where he's from to achieve in F1. The movie even assumes that you understand his talent... but that character, that archetype... we know that character.”
• [33:56] The "morning jog" motif—visual, not didactic—the evolving team dynamic.
• [32:00] Damson’s charisma carries underwritten material—original love-interest subplot cut in edits.

7. Sports Movie Magic: Cinema vs the Real Thing

• [06:58] Bill Simmons: “I wish I liked real racing as much as I like racing movies.”
• Cooking movies, pool, even billiards—movies make them outsized cinematic pleasures.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:59] Chris Ryan: “Like, this is fucking incredible. How did they do this? This is pushing moviemaking forward. I don't really care what the story is. This is mind blowing.”
• [10:23] Chris Ryan: “Kaczynski is the first person to push [the genre] forward since Tony Scott... He really is an inheritor of his stylistic revelations.”
• [15:02] Van Lathan: (On sports movie tropes) “They don't do it in this movie, but it still happens... you gotta go get this guy out of retirement.”
• [16:10] Van Lathan: (On the female lead) “She gives up the ass super quick...she’s straight up loving him... but they make the character aspirational in other ways.”
• [33:56] Van Lathan: (About the evolving team jog) “You see it, rather than somebody having to give a long speech about the importance of togetherness... That, to me, is why I say this is 80s and 90s moviemaking. Kaczynski is so good at this stuff.”
• [37:03] Chris Ryan: “When you watch movies now, you're kind of like, oh, I can see they tried to save money here... You didn’t get this feeling once during F1. When you watch F1, you're like, ‘How much did this fucking movie cost?’”
• [56:24] Chris Ryan (Hottest Take): "Much like Maverick, where Maverick has to be the one who saves everybody's asses, is probably good for this movie, but bad for the movie industry. If these guys keep making movies like this where they're like, no, no, I win... It’s bad for the movie industry if we don’t build more Brad Pitts and Tom Cruises."

Noteworthy Segments & Timestamps

Opening: Movie’s Place in 2025 (04:00–08:00)

• Recap of 2025's theatrical resurgence, films that “demanded” the big screen.
• Bill’s family IMAX viewing story.

How It Came Together: Wild Production (02:48–03:46)

• International locations, COVID and strike delays, “controversial reporting” over budget.
• "This was a complicated production” - Van Lathan

Why Racing Movies Succeed, Even for Non-Fans (06:04–07:28)

• Edit magic, behind-the-scenes drama make racing appealing.

Sports Movie Tropes (13:55–16:10)

• The complete breakdown of familiar beats, why they work, and where "F1" tweaks them.

Brad Pitt: Star/Actor/Ineffable Brand (18:18–21:47)

• The Brangelina digression, his eclectic career arc, and the “wilderness years.”
• [19:20] “Brad Pitt carved out a Brad Pitt thing that makes him incomparable... his career is really interesting.”

The Bruckheimer Connection (35:04–37:41)

• Producer as engine of spectacle, top Rewatchables producer ever.

Monza Scene: Most Rewatchable (54:13–60:22)

• All agree that the Monza crash scene and rain-soaked finale stand out—“You don't know if he's going to die... There's a danger to this film” (Van, 53:38).

Hottest Take: Who Should Have Won? (55:41–58:03)

• Debate over whether Pitt or Idris (JP) should win—the meta-generational torch passing.

Modernity & F1 as Status Symbol (61:03–63:39)

• Discussion of F1’s rise as the ultra-cool, international sport for the under-30 set.

Technical Innovations & Realism (66:56–68:13)

• Deep praise for the technical accuracy in racing visuals, graphics, and the exhilarating feeling of speed.
• [67:03] “How beautiful. This movie almost looks like it could be...a near futurist film.”

Weakest Link & Nitpicks (71:04–72:29, 91:14–95:52)

• Pitt’s age as "impossible in F1"
• JP's manager is "a nothing part."
• Multiple endings; the “Baja” tag as unnecessary.

Podcast Structure & Flow

• Introduction/Banter (00:41–04:00)
• Production Analysis & Technical Triumphs (04:00–15:00)
• Sports Movie Genre/Narratives & Star Power (15:00–30:00)
• Deep Dive: Characters, Tropes, and Scenes (30:00–60:00)
• Category Game: Rewatchables Awards (60:00–75:00)
• Hottest Takes & Nitpicks (55:41–75:00)
• Casting What-Ifs/Research/Trivia (81:55–85:24)
• Apex Mountains/Final Segments (86:42–104:44)

Standout Rewatchable Scenes

• Opening Sequence (Trailer, Led Zeppelin, Ice Bath) [46:42]
• Pit vs. JP: First Driving Showdown [47:25]
• Pub Beers with Kate (Carrie Condon) & Training Montage [48:41]
• The Monza Crash Sequence and Race in the Rain [53:14–54:13]
• Poker Game & Balcony Monologue (“Chasing that moment...I’m flying.”) [54:27]
• Champagne Spray/Final Sprint [55:08–55:37]
• Diner Reunion (“You old son of a…”) [60:26]

Final Rankings & Winners

• Who Won the Movie?
  • Joe Kosinski and Brad Pitt are both lauded (“It's a bigger deal for Kaczynski,” CR [100:52]; “I think the answer is Brad Pitt...now I feel like he's back. And nobody talks about now the off the field stuff with Brad.” Bill [101:06])
• Most Rewatchable Scene: Monza crash & rain finish [59:48]
• Biggest Surprise: Apple’s bet paying off; F1 as Apple’s flagship
• Best Life Lesson ([100:02]): “It's never too late to not be the best that never was anymore.”

Additional Notes

• Soundtrack: Hans Zimmer and “a full album of new music;” key Led Zeppelin and Queen moments
• Cameos: Real F1 drivers; Lewis Hamilton consulting.
• Best Character Name: Sonny Hayes (CR [70:08])
• Weak Link: Pitt realistically too old for F1, JP’s manager underwritten, too many endings.
• Nitpick Hall-of-Fame: How did Pitt’s van get to Vegas? [95:11]

Tone & Style

Playful, irreverent, encyclopedic, and friendly. The hosts riff with affectionate teasing, deep 80s/90s film lore, and a love of genre tropes. Frequent callbacks to earlier ‘Rewatchables’ episodes and running jokes abound, including “Boston Homerism,” and fantasy-casting CR as a blustery British reporter.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode offers:

• A focused yet sprawling roundtable on "F1"—technical marvel, genre throwback, and star vehicle.
• Illuminating asides about Hollywood stardom, sports movie archetypes, and the machinery behind a blockbuster.
• An ideal primer on what makes The Rewatchables a podcast for both cinephiles and casual fans: detailed analysis, recurring categories, and good-natured movie-geek debates.

TL;DR

“F1” is both a celebration of classic sports movie tropes and a leap forward in technical spectacle, powered by Brad Pitt’s staying power, Kosinski’s direction, and Bruckheimer’s producing legacy. While the story is traditional, the execution is breathtaking—the film itself is as much about the future of cinema as it is about racing. The hosts argue, nitpick, and praise with infectious enthusiasm, ending the 2025 Rewatchables slate on a literal and metaphorical high-speed thrill ride.