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Personal Best

  • 1982
  • R
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
Personal Best (1982)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:09
1 Video
99+ Photos
Coming-of-AgePsychological DramaDramaSport

The intertwined lives and loves of three highly ranked athletes striving for the national team; Chris bounces between the beds of male coach Terry and her female friend, competitor, and role... Read allThe intertwined lives and loves of three highly ranked athletes striving for the national team; Chris bounces between the beds of male coach Terry and her female friend, competitor, and role model Tory.The intertwined lives and loves of three highly ranked athletes striving for the national team; Chris bounces between the beds of male coach Terry and her female friend, competitor, and role model Tory.

  • Director
    • Robert Towne
  • Writer
    • Robert Towne
  • Stars
    • Mariel Hemingway
    • Scott Glenn
    • Patrice Donnelly
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    3.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Towne
    • Writer
      • Robert Towne
    • Stars
      • Mariel Hemingway
      • Scott Glenn
      • Patrice Donnelly
    • 37User reviews
    • 22Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Personal Best
    Trailer 2:09
    Personal Best

    Photos122

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    Top cast56

    Edit
    Mariel Hemingway
    Mariel Hemingway
    • Chris Cahill
    Scott Glenn
    Scott Glenn
    • Terry Tingloff
    Patrice Donnelly
    • Tory Skinner
    Kenny Moore
    Kenny Moore
    • Denny Stites
    Jim Moody
    • Roscoe Travis
    Kari G. Peyton
    • Penny Brill
    • (as Kari Gosswiller)
    Jodi Anderson
    • Nadia 'Pooch' Anderson
    Maren Seidler
    • Tanya
    Martha Watson
    • Sheila
    Emily Dole
    Emily Dole
    • Maureen
    Pam Spencer
    • Jan
    Deby Laplante
    • Trish
    Mitzi McMillin
    • Laura
    Jan Glotzer
    • Karen
    Jan Van Reenen
    • Yelovitch
    Allan Feuerbach
    • Zenk
    Jane Frederick
    • Fern Wadkins
    Cindy Gilbert
    • Charlene Benveniste
    • Director
      • Robert Towne
    • Writer
      • Robert Towne
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews37

    6.33.4K
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    Featured reviews

    7junecatpower

    not perfect, but important

    As flawed as it might seem, and as much as Mariel Hemingway's body may have been exploited in the interest of box office sales... This was a very important movie for me and many girls my age. It was the first movie we ever saw that let us know that we weren't the only girls in the world who liked other girls. And it showed us that this could be beautiful and that we weren't freaks. For that it will always hold a special place in my heart. And the same goes for many other lesbians around my age.
    7AlsExGal

    A look back at the 70s from an early 80s pespective...

    ... and the culture had not changed that much at that point such that many changes had to be made other than to be sure the soundtrack was very 70s, and the film does indeed dig up some great 70s oldies.

    This is the story of two athletes - Chris (Mariel Hemingway) and Tory (Patrice Donnely) - from 1976 to 1980 as they train for the 1980 Olympics, hoping to go for the gold, only to have the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and the resulting boycott of the 1980 Olympics by the USA prevent them from training for anything but the satisfaction of personal accomplishment.

    This is also probably the first film to portray a lesbian relationship in a meaningful and realistic way. It shows how Chris and Tory fall in love, how they bond over their desire to be Olympic athletes, and how the athletic competition between them as well as jealousy gradually tear the relationship apart.

    But this was also 1982, so the filmmakers insert what looks like now to be gratuitous nudity to lure would be moviegoers of the day. Looking back now some of the overt sexism and even racism is rather stark. There is coach Terry Tingloff (Scott Glenn) going on and on about how he could have coached men and been a REAL coach. There is a scene in a steam room where one of the African American athletes tells a racist joke. And there is lots of weed smoking before the era of "just say no".

    I'd recommend it, but just realize that the film has long stretches that are solely about competition, preparation, and the little quirks of fate that can affect performance one way or the other. If that bores you, then you are likely not going to get much out of this viewing experience.

    With Larry Pennell as Chris' overbearing demanding coach/dad who just disappears after the first ten minutes, never to be heard from again, and actor/athlete Kenny Moore as Denny Stites, Chris' boyfriend after her break up with Tory, and possibly the world's oldest living college athlete since he was 38 when this film was made and 18 years older than Hemingway.
    5moonspinner55

    Hemingway matures in the course of this film--and as an actress takes some risks

    "Personal Best" opens with a beautiful shot: a lone spot of sweat on the cement as the camera pans slowly upwards to Mariel Hemingway's tense profile as she prepares for a race. Soon afterward, however, the actress opens her mouth and out comes this little girl voice with a puny range. It's only natural to think this is going to be a tough role for Hemingway to pull off, but I believe she has done it. Gay-themed dramas are always something of a risk for the actors involved, yet Hemingway takes her sprinting character from naive mouse to sexy girlfriend to adult in the course of "Personal Best" and becomes a better, stronger actress in the process. Although an excessively barbed film with two gratuitous sub-plots (both involving men: a manipulative coach and an eleventh-hour boyfriend for Mariel), the picture has great '70s atmosphere, good race scenes, some funny, raunchy humor, and an even-handed, focused look at two women in love (lesbian lover Patrice Donnelly is a very moody cuss, but that's certainly no reason to drag in the boyfriend, which is where the movie starts hedging its bets). Two-hours-plus of Mariel Hemingway may sound like too much, but she's very good here; she carries most of this film on her shoulders and pulls off some very tricky sequences. This was her own 'personal best'. ** from ****
    8Aussie Stud

    "Pull my finger!"

    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
    rmax304823

    What problem?

    I saw this film in its first release, then again a few nights ago on cable and it affirmed my first impression that this was one of a scant handful of good sports movies. The shots of San Louis Obispo are evocative, for one thing, giving us not just the apricot sand of the dunes but the whoosh of cars on a distant freeway and the chill of the light fog.

    Mariel Hemingway, never noted for her acting range, becomes noticeably stronger as the movie progresses. The attractions and tensions within the team are neatly delineated in a naturalistic style by director Towne. What seems bothersome to many commentators is the "exploitation" of females through gratuitous nudity and all the rest of that specious argument. Of course there is female nudity and an abundance of finely toned suntanned flesh, often moving around ballistically in slow motion. It is after all a movie about a team of women athletes. And contrary to popular belief there doesn't seem to be a vas deferens between male and female competitors. And we should consult Leni Riefenstal on how to avoid slow motion. Much of the nudity is locker-room casual. (And there is casual male nudity too.) That which has sexual associations seems appropriate in a story of a love affair between team members and contributes to our understanding of how such an affair could develop.

    The guy, by the way, is no eleventh-hour hero brought in at the last minute to save the heroine from the catastrophe of lesbianism. He's no dashing Rhett Butler. He's simply another figure, not overly bright, and manipulable. He and the heroine don't ride into the sunset together.

    The complaints about exploitation seem misdirected. This is a film for adults, a story of love, dedication, and competition, nicely written, directed, photographed, scored, and acted. Zealots in the gay community have an abundance of other targets for their anger. It would have been nice to see more of Patrice Donnely in other films, because she was quite good, especially for an ex-athlete.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Mariel Hemingway trained for nine months in preparation for her role as an pentathlete in this film. She originally planned to train for about only two to three months, but with delays and postponements to the production of the picture, allowed Hemingway more time to prepare for her role, blowing-out out to about twelve months.
    • Goofs
      During the trials, Chris fouls in the shot put. As it is assumed she made no mark in the event and scored zero points she surely would never have a chance to finish high up in the overall standings, especially after she also had a poor hurdles race. Not scoring in a heptathlon event will cost roughly 20% of your overall score, virtually impossible to make up over the other 4 events.
    • Quotes

      Terry Tingloff: All right, one thing ya gotta understand: I could've been a man's coach. Backfield coach, Oregon State: I had the job, I had the job, I actually had the job. You understand? I had the job. Ah, well. Coach of the year. I was coach of the year last year. You know what that means when you're a womens' coach? Jack shit. I mean I could have coached football. Do you actually think that Chuck Knoll has to worry that Franco Harris is gonna cry 'cause Terry Bradshaw won't talk to him? - Hmm? - Jack Lambert can't play because Mel Blount hurt his feelings, that Lynn Swann is pregnant, that Rocky Bleier forgot his Tampax. Ah, fuck!

    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: Personal Best/The Border/Venom/Zoot Suit (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      Rosalinda's Eyes
      Written and Sung by Billy Joel

      Courtesy of CBS Records

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 26, 1982 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Warner Bros.
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La mejor marca
    • Filming locations
      • 1305 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, USA(apartment of Tory Skinner)
    • Production company
      • The Geffen Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $16,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $5,672,311
    • Gross worldwide
      • $5,672,311
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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