Heart Like A Wheel: Special NHRA Edition

Underrated actress Bonnie Bedelia had been kicking around Hollywood for 15 years (without attracting a whole lot of attention) when she won the part of pioneering female racecar driver Shirley Muldowney, subject of this 1983 biopic. Bedelia's passionate performance for director Jonathan Kaplan—who, up to this point, had only helmed low-budget drive-in fodder and undistinguished made-for-TV movies—earned her a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination. And it still holds up. The story begins with young Shirley taking the wheel of a speeding sedan driven by her daddy (Hoyt Axton) and being inculcated with a love for racing. As a teenager she competes against local hot-rodders, but subjugates her true passion to concentrate on her marriage to husband Jack (Leo Rossi) and the rearing of their son John (Anthony Edwards). Still, her innate talent compels her in 1966 to try to enter a pro race, which she does—after a qualifying run that breaks the track record. The film painstakingly details the sexism Muldowney regularly confronts in pursuing her dream—drag racing had strictly been the province of macho males, who initially resented Shirley's intrusion into their domain—but Kaplan and scripter Ken Friedman also pay attention to the domestic realities, chronicling the extent to which Shirley's new profession impacted both her marriage and her relationship with her young son. Beau Bridges costars as Conrad “Connie” Kalitta, initially one of Muldowney's rivals but later an intimate. Heart Like a Wheel is by turns viscerally exciting and deeply moving, a fascinating true story of Muldowney's barrier-breaking career in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing. DVD extras include audio commentary by director Kaplan, a pair of featurettes (with new interviews of the real Muldowney, Kalitta, and other racers), an alternate ending, and a stills gallery. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)