Admittedly, I'm a sucker for movies like ABC's "Ride With the Wind" (tonight, 8 p.m., Ch. 4), but even those who don't like renegade motorcycle flicks may find it entertaining.
Craig T. Nelson, looking far seedier than he ever could in "Coach," plays Frank Shelby, an over-the-hill motorcycle racer whose multiple injuries have left him barely able to move, but who refuses to give up racing.He drowns his aches and pains in booze, but somehow sobers up enough to make a living on his cycle.
Enter Katherine Barnes (Helen Shaver), a single-mother bank executive.
Her son, Danny (Bradley Pierce), is hospitalized with cancer. That's where Frank meets him, not surprising because between falling off motorcycles and getting beaten up, Frank seems to spend a lot of time in hospitals.
Frank takes a personal interest in Danny, and a romantic interest in Katherine, who is not quite sure what to make of this bearded, long-haired has-been, but she can't deny that his influence on the ailing Danny is a good thing.
As all this is going on, Frank is preparing for "the nationals," a huge motorcycle race that he intends to win, which amuses most everyone except Jack Hayes (Max Gail of "Barney Miller"), an old friend of Frank's who has become a respectable motorcycle team owner.
As Frank cleans up his act to set a better example for Danny, Jack sees something in his longtime friend that has never been there before: "Kindness," Jack says.
Will Frank win The Big Race? Let's say the whole film is pretty predictable.
"Ride With the Wind" is full of holes big enough to ride a Harley through, but it has a wonderfully warm look to it that makes the flaws forgivable.
It isn't surprising that Nelson, one of the producers, would be drawn to a project like this, because no actor since Paul Newman has become so personally involved in motorsports as Nelson has.
Consequently, it's all pretty accurate, right down to having ESPN's Dave Despain announce the race.
"Ride With the Wind" is, at least, something quite different. But there are some genuinely charming moments that should appeal to viewers who aren't as taken with the subject as I am.