Heart Like a Wheel

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…

**_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.…