Personal Best (1982)

Touches You

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

There have been so many things said about this particular movie . . . in my opinion (for what it's worth) I found this movie to be simply . . . .Excellent . . . Period ! Released in 1982, Personal Best is about Chris Cahill (played wonderfully by Mariel Hemmingway) who, along with Tory Skinner (played by Patrice Donnely) get romanticaly involved while commpetting in the olympics. Although this movie deals with certain sensitive subjects, the movie as a whole has an excellent storyline and ....when it comes down to it, love for another person. Writer and Director Robert Towne did an excellent job on this movie, and Mariel Hemmingway is (and always will be) an absolute Babe ! This movie is out on DVD. For excellent entertainment, Get This Movie !! You won't be disappointed. Enjoy !

In 1982, I suppose this movie would have come across as both voyeuristic and somewhat gutsy, featuring as its "hook" a lesbian relationship between two young athletes. In 2010, it no longer seems gutsy - so that aspect of the movie is simply voyeuristic, although it does lead to a sometimes interesting portrayal of how the relationship gets complicated. As Tori and Chris, Patrice Donnelly and Mariel Hemingway both put on decent enough performances. Tori is a veteran pentathlete, while Chris is young and unsure of herself. The two link up, becoming friends and, ultimately, lovers - which creates some real complications as the personal and romantic relationship competes with the competitive and athletic relationship. I found this a strange movie in some ways from the very beginning, as the opening credits roll in simply white letters on black background without any musical accompaniment at all. To me, that created an almost foreboding feeling - although there's nothing particularly foreboding about the movie. There's a number of scenes of total female nudity in the steam room after training sessions especially, although that didn't really strike me as gratuitous - it came across as natural to the circumstances. The sexual relationship between Chris and Tori isn't graphically portrayed, although there is nudity and obvious affection shown between the two. The development of their relationship (with its ups and downs) with its growing competitiveness as Chris develops into not just a lover but an athletic rival is interesting.As sports movies go, this lacks any real sense of drama. The final part of the movie, depicting the 1980 US Olympic Trials is a bit of a drag frankly, and not well developed. At one point we're told that Chris is 6th and disappointing, while Tori is 3rd and very competitive. Then, all of a sudden, Chris is second and challenging to win, while Tori's on the verge of dropping out. How did that happen? Much of this closing part of the movie is filmed in slow motion, which doesn't really add to what should be the excitement. This is - at best - an up and down movie. It has some very mild sexual innuendo type humour from time to time (think of the water polo player being spotted by Chris as he lifts weights, which means he's looking right up between her legs as he does so!) It also featured a role for a young and shaggy haired Scott Glenn, who - with all due respect - demonstrated that his best acting days were definitely ahead of him, although the scene in which he discusses the challenges of coaching women track athletes compared to coaching male football players was rather funny! 5/10

The best part of this film is you get a look at Eugene, Oregon, the mecca of track and field in the early 1980s. Mariel Hemingway is pretty convincing as a pentathlete. She is tall, very fit and moves with much of the grace of a hurdler. Of note is that most of the others in this film, with the exception of Scott Glenn were actual world-class athletes. Jane Fredrick and Kate Schmidt were top women and Al Feuerbach was a champion shot-putter. Kenny Moore, who plays Hemingway's male love-interest is cast as a water polo player. In reality Moore, who does a very good job finished 4th in the Olympic Marathon, was numerous events, but was cursed with running at the same time as Frank Shorter (has a bit part playing a TV announcer). Moore was also a frequent contributor for Sports Illustrated. This is not a genre-defining movie (if there is a genre of this type), but it is quite watchable and gives one a hint of the life of track athletes in the era before they were allowed to be paid above the table.

Mariel Hemingway stars in what is perhaps the most defining film of her career, a vehicle that displays her acting talents at what is probably her own 'personal best'.In "PERSONAL BEST", Mariel is Chris Cahill, a young and attractive bi-sexual athlete competing at the Olympic Team Trials for the 1980 Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles. Her character is defined as somewhat naive, but she is guided through her sexuality phase with the help of Tory Skinner (wonderfully played by Patrice Donnelly). Whether the two characters are lesbian or not is beside the point, what "PERSONAL BEST" tries to deal with is the hardship of having a relationship at a trying time in your life. In this case, both Chris and Tory are competing for a place in the Olympic Team and they both help each other emotionally and physically to achieve their goals.The two girls both deal with sexual confusion which distracts them on and off the field. Their coach is played by Scott Glenn who plays a hard and despicable character who 'pushes' them too hard to achieve their personal best."PERSONAL BEST" is filled with unnecessary nudity including countless scenes inside a sauna where you get to see young female athletes baring all. There are also several explicit sex scenes involving Chris and Tory which would probably not be suitable for younger children. One questionable scene involves Chris and a male athlete/temporary love interest in a bizarre toilet scene that has absolutely nothing to do with the movie - but other than that, the rest of the film is quite inspirational.When the movie isn't trying to be serious, there are some comedic moments including a scene where Chris asks Tory to 'pull her finger'. Another thing "PERSONAL BEST" successfully achieves is building a story around a 'lesbian relationship' without delving into silly stereo-types and cliché's that spoiled other films of the same time (ie. "WINDOWS" and "THE LONELY LADY").When it all boils down to it, what drove Chris and Tory to achieve their personal best was not endless training and their physical attributes, but their love and friendship for each other which was something that would probably last forever. "PERSONAL BEST" is a film about athletics and it is also a love story.Yes, Mariel Hemingway has starred in a lot of trash (ie. "LIPSTICK", "SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE", "BAD MOON") - but it is "PERSONAL BEST" which I remember her the most for. Patrice Connelly was also a very good actress, but she has since retired from acting after appearing in only two films. This movie brought back a lot of memories about the 70's and the 80's and how innocent love could be in times that weren't so troubled.I highly recommend this film, not just for sports enthusiasts, but for also those who are seeking a romantic love story.My rating - 8 out of 10