Heart Like a Wheel (1983)

Long before there was Ru Paul, there was Bonnie Bedelia delivering quite a gutsy performance here in her own drag racing biopic of pioneering driver Shirley Muldowney. Her racing involved cars but otherwise wasn’t a lot less catty as her attempt to establish herself in what was very much a man’s world proved difficult for her and those around her. Initially, her new husband (Leo Rossi) is supportive and encouraging but only insofar as it is a hobby that doesn’t get in the way of their family and their gas station business. She’s more determined than that though, and egged on by fellow driver “Connie” (Beau Bridges), soon finds herself separated and striving for success with her son John helping out. If you follow the history of this particularly American sport, you will know what happens over the next few years of high-octane action peppered with a little romance. That’s about it, really. There’s nowhere near enough race action - staged or archive - to really enliven this and so for the most part there is just loads of chat and plenty of tantrums as Bedelia does just about enough but Bridges struggles to make much impact. It quickly makes it’s point about chauvinism - in not just this sport, but also in it’s media coverage, but not really very powerfully and in the end comes across more of a fluffy celebration of her achievements rather than an assessment of just how tough it was to get to the top. We know she made sacrifices, but these are not really so prominently explored in this disappointingly light-weight drama that really just joins the dots and skims over most of her graft.

**_Biopic of The First Lady of Drag Racing, Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney_**

This is similar to “Coal Miner’s Daughter” from three years prior, just substituting drag racing for country musician. No, it’s not as good, but it ain’t bad. It starts with sequences reminiscent of the back road drag racing in “Rebel Without a Cause.” Didn’t we all do that as teens?

Beautiful Bonnie Bedelia sold me on the movie, but the real-life Muldowney, who acted as consultant, preferred Jamie Lee Curtis for the role. She called Bedelia a “snot” who exited race cars like she was getting up from the dinner table. The masculine cast includes Beau Bridges, Mickey White and Michael Cavanaugh, amongst others.

It runs 1h 53m and was shot in late spiring/early summer 1982 at Irvine, California, Olympic, Washington, and Beeline Raceway in Mesa, Arizona.

GRADE: B