On the one hand, the IMAX-driven spectacle of F1 is undeniably satisfying to watch on the big screen; on the other hand, we all walked out of Joseph Kosinski’s second teamup with producer Jerry Bruckheimer unsure whether it qualifies as a movie and not just a sophisticated simulation thereof. Despite the star power of Brad Pitt and a plethora of familiar sports-movie tropes, there’s a human element missing from F1 that left us all slightly perplexed, and which is thrown into even sharper relief when placed against the character-driven comedy of the other film in this pairing, TALLADEGA NIGHTS. But despite their drastically different points of view, the two share some uncanny similarities that we get into during Connections, from their shared narrative tension between team loyalty and individual glory, to a crash-and-burn approach to trauma, to a wallpaper-like view of corporate sponsorship. Then we take an extra lap on this racing pairing with a Your Next Picture show recommendation for the long-running Netflix docuseries F1: DRIVE TO SURVIVE.

Please share your thoughts about TALLADEGA NIGHTS, F1, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Next Pairing: James Gunn’s SUPERMAN and Richard Donner’s SUPERMAN

Intro: 00:00:00-00:02:11

F1 discussion: 00:02:12-00:29:30

F1/Talladega Nights Connections: 00:29:31-00:50:44

Your Next Picture Show: 00:50:45-00:54:14

Next episode preview and goodbyes: 00:54:15-end

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