Heart Like a Wheel

Bonnie Bedelia got her career role in this biographical study of Shirley Ann Muldowney aka Cha Cha who became the first female drag racing champion. She cracked a lot of glass ceilings and this film is particularly good viewing as another woman is poised to crack the biggest glass ceiling of them all this year. There were a lot of heartaches on the way for Muldowney, the break up of her marriage where her husband Leo Rossi felt relegated to the sidelines in his role reversal as her mechanic. There was also an affair with another drag racing champion played by Beau Bridges. Bedelia is just wonderful in a role where she gradually ages almost 20 years and she's convincing at all stages of her life. She gets good support from her supporting cast. Special mention should go out to Leo Rossi who has a complex role as the husband who is never made a stereotypical alpha male. No trace of a Donald Trump like character is found in his performance. Also country singer Hoyt Axton does well as Bedelia's father. I think more than drag racing fans will like Heart Like A Wheel which got an Oscar nomination for costume design.

source: Heart Like a Wheel

Trailer—Heart Like a Wheel

Heart Like a Wheel

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Muldowney. A close friend's older brother was racing in the econo altered class at the local 1/4 mile strip. Muldowney and Garlits were the featured attractions. My friend's older brother was racing in the econo altered class and graciously gave me a pit pass. I immediately went to Muldowney's camp. We hit it off and she showed me what her mechanics were doing, which was tearing the whole damn rig apart and putting it back together. She literally took the time to explain every step to me in detail while simultaneously signing autographs. Class act.

Great acting, direction, and camera work. Bonnie Bedelia is outright spooky with her resemblance of the real Shirley Muldowney. While this movie keeps you glued to the screen from start to finish and does have plenty of action, it is not one of those obnoxious special effects flicks that give me a headache with all the non-stop shouting and jiggle-camera that make me sea-sick. Instead, it satisfies an audience with brains. This is a great movie about racing and also delivers some sharp social comment. It begins with a flashback to one of those exciting key moments in childhood and never lets up with keeping the story interesting to the end. Aside from gorgeously done racing scenes, it wrestles real problems that women face to this day, as I witnessed them growing up as the son of a divorced mother. Just reading some comments in other reviews right here shows that sexism is alive and well, so there are lessons and thoughts to mull over for everybody. This is well worth watching!

This is the story (more or less) about the rise of Top Fuel drag racing legend Shirley Muldowney. It stars Bonnie Bedelia as Muldowney, who is trying to break into what was a man's sport. She encountered chauvinistic men who were either outright opposed to her racing or were condescending, many considering her nothing more than eye candy. One man, Connie Kalitta, played by Beau Bridges, believed she could make it against the men. He became her sponsor and lover. The relationship was a tempestuous one and it didn't last but it got her started. Once she began to beat the men, they began to respect her as a driver and a person. She went on to win many races and, eventually, 3 Top Fuel championships. She survived a horrible crash and fire but climbed right back into a car as soon as she could. Shirley has since mostly retired from racing and now runs only a few match races each year. But she left a legacy and inspiration for women drivers in various motorsports that endures today.

As someone who's not into drag racing, I had never heard of Shirley Muldowney before watching Jonathan Kaplan's Academy Award-nominated "Heart Like a Wheel" (not knowing what it was about, I assumed that it had something to do with Linda Ronstadt's song). My unfamiliarity made the movie all the more impressive. Like numerous people throughout history, Muldowney wanted to make something of herself. I understand that Muldowney would've preferred Jamie Lee Curtis in the role. I could see Curtis in the role, but I still think that Bonnie Bedelia did a fine job. It's not a masterpiece, but I recommend it. PS: supporting cast members Hoyt Axton and Dick Miller co-starred the following year in Joe Dante's "Gremlins".

I have been a Shirley Muldowney fan forever and this is a wonderful movie. It is very accurate and the actor's portrayals are great. If you have ever been around the races and pits, you will realize that it is right on. I have forced many of my non-racing fan and non-Shirley fan friends to watch this movie and the majority of them all thought that it was a great movie and most say they would watch again. For those of you that don't like racing, or have never heard of Shirley Muldowney, it is a great movie to show the struggle that women had/have fitting in to the so called "man's world." The fact that it is set in an overwhelmingly male field makes it even more interesting. As stated above, I have been a fan of Shirley's for years, and I have always stated that she is my idol. Everyone laughs when I say this, but I have always come away with - if Shirley managed to make it in drag racing, I can make it in (fill in the blank). Great movie.

Bonnie Bedelia turns in an outstanding performance as female drag racer Shirley Muldowney. The cars, music and clothes are right on for the time period. The film is filled with the struggles Shirley went through to juggle a racing career and still be a good wife and mother. Don't miss this movie!