After Deepika, Hansal Mehta Reviews Brad Pitt's F1; Says Javier Bardem Was Reduced To…

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Hansal Mehta reviewed Brad Pitt's F1, critiquing its underused cast. Previously, Deepika Padukone, too, praised the film.
'Brad Pitt. That's it, that's the post. IYKYK," wrote Deepika Padukone, while expressing how she liked the film, F1. A day later, filmmaker Hansal Mehta reviewed the film, carefully writing about how the story and its characters were treated. In his honest opinion of the Hollywood blockbuster, the Scam 1992 director wrote that Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem was 'wasted' in the film.
'My thoughts on F1", was how Hansal Mehta began his review. He continued, 'F1 applies every familiar screenwriting trope from the underdog sportsperson playbook: the tormented past, the fractured team, the old-vs-young dynamic, and the predictable trajectory from rock bottom to redemption. You can almost hear the structure ticking away beneath the surface."
He continued, 'And yet, despite all that, it works – at least in parts. The racing sequences are thrillingly constructed, shot with the kind of kinetic precision that makes you forget the cliché for a while. The film treats its beautifully ageing lead with near-reverence and rightly so. There's something moving about watching a star who knows how to carry silence and wear fatigue with grace."
Mehta then went on to write about what he felt didn't work for the film. 'What definitely doesn't work is the treatment of its supporting cast. Take Javier Bardem—an actor capable of thunder—and reduce him to one of the laziest character sketches in recent memory. A waste really," he penned.
'And yet, for all its worn-out tropes and narrative shortcuts F1 had the audience glued for most part, willingly swept up in the spectacle. Somehow the clichés didn't matter. The crowd wanted the hit and the film delivered. Same drug, different packaging but the high still lands," he concluded. Take a look:
My thoughts on F1F1 applies every familiar screenwriting trope from the underdog sportsperson playbook: the tormented past, the fractured team, the old-vs-young dynamic, and the predictable trajectory from rock bottom to redemption. You can almost hear the structure ticking… pic.twitter.com/DijZp1EVI1
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) June 29, 2025
Social media users couldn't agree more with Hansal Mehta. 'God has spoken!", wrote a fan. 'I felt the same. The romantic track was also half baked. I don't know if it was necessary too," said another. Yet another user drew parallels between Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan and Pathaan: 'Absolutely apt review @mehtahansal
sir! This is what SRK did with Pathaan and Jawan but rest of the Bollywood kind of forgotten!"
What is Brad Pitt's F1 about?
Brad Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a former racing legend making a comeback to F1 after decades away, in a film directed by Joseph Kosinski, known for the action-packed Top Gun: Maverick. Premiering internationally on June 27, the movie has already garnered rave reviews for its mix of emotional narrative and realistic racing scenes.
With Lewis Hamilton as a co-producer, F1 doesn't just tell a racing story—it immerses viewers in the sport. The film features an impressive cast including Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem, Tobias Menzies, and Sarah Niles. Bardem portrays Ruben Cervantes, Sonny's former teammate and now the struggling owner of a team, who persuades Hayes to make an unlikely return.
First Published:
June 30, 2025, 12:07 IST