Sold as a comedy, this film was really a biopic about Wendell Scott, the first African American to break through on the auto-racing circuit. Richard Pryor (working from a script cowritten by Melvin Van Peebles) conveys the determination and long-suffering humor of a man who battles racial prejudice to pursue the sport he loves. But the material is plodding and Pryor can't elevate it. Nor can director Michael Schultz turn all of those behind-the-wheels scenes into actual cinematic excitement. Still, in rare moments, Pryor (working opposite Pam Grier) manages to sneak out some of the subversive wit that made him a star. "--Marshall Fine"