Better than I thought but should have starred Jamie Lee Curtis

I thought Bonnie Bedelia did a wonderful job portraying Shirley Muldowney, capturing some of her complexities and burning desire to race, but after watching it and reading more about Shirley, I actually agree with the real life Shirley that Jamie Lee Curtis would have been perfect for the role.

Jamie Lee Curtis has that down-to-earth, tomboyish charm about her and a bit more of that go-getter attitude that I thought Bedelia lacked. I could definitely see Jamie being more aggressive with getting the signatures, or showing more verve for wanting to get back out onto the track after the explosive accident.

I think Bonnie was great insofar of portraying Shirley as very feminine with a strong but conservative sex appeal. It would have been interesting to see how Jamie Lee Curtis handled that aspect of the character, but I can certainly see why the real life Shirley thought a firecracker like Curtis would have been better suited to play her.