Dragster: vivere a 300 all'ora

The last thing that interests me is auto racing, so when this popped up on the TV channel I was watching, I figured I'd turn it off as soon as I was sure the opening credits promised nothing intriguing. I was drawn into the movie immediately, though, and it held me all the way through. I still don't care about auto racing, but... shh... the movie is really about people.

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.

This is one of those rare performances in which you fall in love with the actress. Bonnie Bedelia was apparently nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress for her performance as Shirley Muldowney - she should have won an Oscar.

Whether or not you care anything about drag racing - I don't - this is just as much a movie about an unusual, sweet but driven, woman through two decades. It's really tops.

The only criticism I have is that the movie lets the character off rather lightly for abandoning her husband and child after a fight over whether she should be gone from home throughout the year. The truth is that it must be terribly difficult for someone not in the industry to keep a marriage going - including parenthood of a 12 year old - with someone who wants to be gone throughout the year and throughout the country. At one point, Beau Bridges accuses her of abandoning her husband due to ambition - and I suspect there may be more in the accusation than the movie allows the viewer to believe (since Beau Bridges at that point is behaving pretty awfully).

Still, Bonnie Bedelia is so charming, sweet, pretty, winning in every way - that the viewer does nothing but cheer her success.

This is very enjoyable.

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!

A gem. Pretty much ignored when it came out, because the industry tried to push it as a "hot rod movie" which it is not. Bonnie Bedelia gives a brilliant performance (apparently race folks who knew Muldowney believed she appeared as herself in a couple of scenes!). Film and TV seldom succeed in portraying auto racing; but that doesn't matter here because it doesn't pretend to. The movie has the same spirit as BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM; a young woman facing down family and society in order to fight and win in her chosen field. At the end, you will want to pump your fist and cheer, the way I saw a cinema audience do for the recent Beckham piece. Also, some quite heart-piercing moments when Muldowney's ambition and drive and hard shell fall apart from love and betrayal. Beau Bridges loves his role as a boozy cynical scoundrel, and what fun singer Hoyt Axton must have had doing his thing. 1960 out on the Depot Road near Schenectady --- that's what it was like!