THREE ON A SCALE OF TEN

Well, they did it again. The powers that be in the hallowed halls of ESPN have failed miserably with yet another made-for-television movie based on a real-life sports icon. This time it's the legendary stock car driver from Kanapolis, North Carolina—none other than Dale Earnhardt.

Barry Pepper turns in a respectable performance playing the lead character in 3: THE DALE EARNHARDT STORY. He's certainly far more believable than those who preceded him starring under the ESPN banner. I'm referring, of course, to the miscast Brian Dennehy's portrayal of Bobby Knight in A SEASON ON THE BRINK (Bryant Gumbel would have been just as believable and he's black, sort of) not to mention Tom Berenger's role as Paul “Unbearable” Bryant in THE JUNCTION BOYS.

In addition to Barry, two other actors are deserving of kudos. Elizabeth Mitchell was absolutely captivating as Dale's umpteenth wife, Teresa, while Marshall McGee deserves a cold Bud for nailing down Dale Jr.'s speech pattern and inflection. Maybe 3 in this case refers to the “best in show” cast members and not the number on the famous Mr. Goodwrench Chevrolet.

Production values, even for a movie-of-the-week, were disappointing. I say this because in comparison to ABC's recent airing of THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, the standard has been raised. This film was cheaply made and it shows. If you've ever been to a NASCAR race you know that nothing's cheap (except the women) and so, after another hundred or more airings on ESPN and ESPN2, I am confident that 3 will next appear at the DVD bargain bin in Dollar Stores throughout Dixie—and deservedly so.

In the final analysis, the biggest failure lies with the screenplay written by Robert Eisele, whose most recent previous screen credit was for an episode of VANISHING SON in 1995. Too bad Mr. Eisele didn't vanish as well. The script meanders from one episode in Earnhardt's life to another without ever capturing the essence of what made “The Intimidator” special. Loyal NASCAR fans, and I fall into that category going as far back as the days of Fireball Roberts and Coo Coo Marlin, will be disappointed even though the numerous obtuse references to the sport and those involved will be understood. For the novice racing enthusiast, however, the script will be confusing and, for those who don't follow any type of motor sport, this film will get the equivalent of a black flag.