3 - The Dale Earnhardt Story

Rating:
Summary: Number 3 lives on.
Review: I am a big NASCAR fan, and a fan of Dale Earnhardt. I was very sad when he died in Feb. 2001, I can't watch the crash that took the life of the greatest driver in NASCAR. I was glad to see this movie when it aired on ESPN on Dec. 11th. Barry Pepper did such a great job portraying the NASCAR Legend. Dale Earnhardt will always be in my thoughts and I bet he's up there in God's Victory Lane saying to Barry Pepper 'Nice Job!' I still can't believe that this movie was filmed in just 20 days with full support of the Earnhardt family and NASCAR.

Rating:
Summary: A worthy effort from ESPN
Review: "All I wanna do is race, Daddy." An oil-stained, greasy-headed teenage Dale Earnhardt explains to his father why he can't hold a job or maintain a relationship; he just wants to race. ESPN's most recent foray into sports-themed biopics focuses on NASCAR's swashbuckling "Man in Black", a hero of the common man and an individual who helped nurture NASCAR's financial boom of the 1980s and 1990s.

"3" attempts to speak to the psychological make-up of racecar drivers. Like his colleagues, Earnhardt has to learn to understand the dangers of the track (to protect himself and his expensive car), but he can't let those dangers cause him to drive scared. Dale represses the fears anyone would experience in an industry where so many die doing their job. The film shows how those repressed fears manifest themselves in nightmares and instability.

But more than just speaking about drivers in general, "3" tries to nail down Dale Earnhardt, the man, and explain what made him one of the more loved and hated men in sports history. He goes through wives, earns respect and disdain from his fellow drivers and remains an enigmatic mystery to most around him. With his faults, Dale is shown to be a man of him word and remains loyal to his parents, his friend Neil Bonet and in his own "Great Santini" way, his children.

A major element lacking from this feature concerns the impact Earnhardt had on the working class South. In order to understand Earnhardt, people unfamiliar with NASCAR must first try to understand the people who loved him. He was not just a sports figure; to legions of downtrodden southerners, Dale Earnhardt was a man who gave people hope. When he died, a large group of people lost Elvis, Princess Diana and Martin Luther King, all rolled into one. Any film about his life should give a large amount of attention to the fans who made him an icon and have insured his immortality.


Rating:
Summary: Good biopic from ESPN!!
Review: As a huge fan of "The Intimidator", I was very skeptical about how a TV movie would portray the greatest race car driver that ever lived. After viewing "3", I must say that I was impressed by the work. Being that this was a TV movie (And I'm not a big fan of TV movies.), it didn't surprise me that the director would tread very thin on the biographical history and not ruffle feathers any further about his love life, his relationship with his fellow drivers or other tracks. The portayal of Earnhardt by Barry Pepper was great. He captured his style and essence. However, I would have loved to see more about some of his rituals at the track. Maybe this is the first of many films that will try to give fans like myself and others who don't know him a feel of what he was like. This film has my blessing.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Racer - Lame Movie
Review: Dale E. was the greatest stock car driver ever, and paid some serious dues along the way up to the ultimate price at Daytona in 2001. To be a great athlete, also your family life takes a beating, and Dale's family life problems was no exception until his later years.

I was at Daytona and witnessed Dale's crash. Like many, the crash didn't seem that bad, and I left the stands thinking only what a great race it had been with DEI cars finishing 1 & 2 in the finish. When I finally got to my vehicle, I learned on the radio that Dale had died, and I just couldn't believe it. It was two years before I returned to the track, after Dale's death.

I thought this movie was really lame and poorly writtened. The actoring was OK, but the movie was just really flat and kinda of bogus, no dispect to the actors. I could really tell it was a low budget/"tight shoot" movie, about one of the greatest athletes in history.

There is so many good documentary's of "E's" life, this movie seemed like only an attempt to make a fast buck off this great Legend. Dale's contribution to the sports and entertainment industry, and society deserved better.




Rating:
Summary: *3* THE EARNHARD MOVIE !!!
Review: I thought it was a great movie about Dale, have been a fan since the last year he won his 7th Championship. It touched a lot on what made Dale the man he really was, but the movie didn't show later racing footage until the last 1/2 hour to 3/4 of the show, a little disappointing. They could of made a 3-4 hour movie out of the life of Dale Earnhart, but none the less, it was a good movie. I will buy the movie to have but also am very interested in the 5 hours of interviews and racing footage.



Rating:
Summary: Nice job
Review: I wondered how ESPN could do even a decent job of Dale Earnhardt's early career. They did great. I've been a fan of the man since the mid 80's. ESPN did a very good job on a touchy subject. I commend them and recommend buying this film.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad at all!
Review: I've been following Dale Earnhardt since the mid 80's and, like every other 3 fan, I was ready to tear this movie apart! In all honesty, it was a damn good movie!

There were a few parts that weren't exactly correct, but they were things only true NASCAR/Earnhardt fans would have known. One scene shows Jake Elder, Dale's crew cheif leaving the team after his first Championship when actually, Doug Richert was Dale's crew chief during that season. Another scene of Dale and DW wrecking at Richmond in 1986 didn't really turn out the way they showed it. I have that race on VHS and Dale never jumped out of the car saying "I didn't mean to wreck him! I just wanted to rattle his cage!" In fact, Dale made that comment about Terry Labonte after the Bristol night race in 1999! One other thing I didn't care for was the way they showed Dale having nightmares and waking up in a cold sweat. Even Dr. Jerry Punch from ESPN said he didn't think that ever happened.

Overall, the movie was a good depiction of Dale's life but there were a few things that were left out like the charity work Dale did and his freindship with Tim Richmond. But, then again, if it were up to me it would have been a miniseries!

If you're an Earnhardt fan, you NEED to own this movie!

Rating:
Summary: Dale Earnhardt was the man!
Review: It was a very difficult thing to try to do, give a 49 year biography in only 90 minutes. I personally think Barry Pepper did a pretty good job of depicting Dale. I am sure the movie missed a few key points, but it did give a lot of insight as to why things were the way they were with Dale. His father, while tough, taught Dale some valuable lessons that sustained him for the rest of his life. It showed how things used to be, you had to work for them, not have them handed to you like the young hotshots of today. There will never be another one like him, and NASCAR has lost one of the best drivers to ever drive a stock car.

The 5 hours of extra footage should bring back some wonderful memories. I hope they show some of the old races, such as the win at the 1998 Daytona 500, or how he passed Bill Elliott in the grass at Charlotte in 1987, or how he passed 18 cars in the last 4 laps at Talladega in 2000. There is so much that could be shown, it would be impossible to show all of the high points in just a mere 5 hours.

It is quite apparent that some reviewing this movie are not Earnhardt fans. Take the movie for what is was worth, and don't bash it just because you were not a fan (SS, WMD).

RIP Dale, we love you and miss you!

Rating:
Summary: rednecks must love crashes
Review: or long left hand turns.to watch a NASCAR race is to witness the biggest uncle/cousin gathering.YEE HAW!!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: THE INTIMDATOR!
Review: THIS IS THE GREATEST MOVIE I EVER BOUGHT! I LIKE IT ALOT! IT'S TELLS ABOUT DALE'S LIFE & RACING! A MUST FOR EVERY EARNHARDT FAN!