As Good As It Gets

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I saw this movie at Kmart for $3.99 and it was a price point I couldn't walk away from. I had never heard of it before, but the fact that it was from the 1970s and featured running as an element of the story appealed to me. As an added treat, when the credits began to roll I was pleased to see P.J. Soles was in the cast. Her part isn't big, but she always brings a special spark to her portrayals. Actually, all of the women in Season are appealing; good job casting director!Scott Jacoby plays David Wakefield, a miler on the high school track meet who we learn from the opening scene, tends to run like a slower version of Prefontaine in that he goes out fast only to fade in the end. He acts as a rabbit for the team's resident jerk and stand out miler Burton (Robert Wahler). His older sister's boyfriend, Dean (Joe Penny) a former track stand out advises him to start off slower and save it for the end (a.k.a negative splits), but it takes a rendezvous with a hooker with a heart of gold (Joanna Cassidy) and for Dean to go off and die in 'Nam for the advice to really sink in. I forgot to mention the film is set in the Sixties, and so when Dean heads off to Vietnam you know he is going to die. The ever appealing Jan Smithers plays his grieving girlfriend.The film is sprinkled with teen high jinx, but it doesn't have the anarchy of an "Animal House." It reminded me of a cross between the "Class of '44" and "American Graffiti" but lacked the profundity of the latter film.I thought it was interesting that the film didn't have a lot of adult figures in it other than some coaches and cops; parental figures are all off-screen. There's no music of the era blaring out of car radios or jukeboxes.I noticed during the pot smoking scene that Dennis Quaid - and this is no great revelation - can inflate his cheeks like Dizzy Gillespie.And at the climatic race at the end the stands are filled with extras who look like they are watching a track meet in 1978 given their attire and hair styles. Period pieces with large crowd scenes and limited budgets are always tough to pull off.

Yesterday I saw this film for the fist time. Two things immediately struck me. Was this a warm-up for Dennis Quaid's role in Breaking Away? Almost the same character, same time frame, competitive aura; the similarities were striking. Also who did not have a crush on Jan Smithers? She looked so amazingly wholesome yet knowing at the same time. In fact I thought her relationship with her brother bordered on creepy from the outside but if you were the brother maybe, OK. Do not miss the Joanna Cassidy role. The woman every high-school guy dreamed of. the whole movie combined elements of early TV shows with frequently used movie cliché. The run up the fire outlook has been done so many times before and yet Sylvester Stallone could not keep it out of Rocky 1. Not a bad movie even enjoyable. Share it with people in their 50's, the conventions used are so familiar they are enjoyable.

Before there was a "Chariots of Fire" or a film that dealt with the pressures of winning for oneself, there was this little gem of a film. "Our Winning Season" is a film about David Wakefield (portrayed well by little known Scott Jacoby) who is not quite the star runner of Griffin High School. He has his friends whoencourage him (Played by Randy Hermann and a then unknown Dennis Quaid)and his sister and her boyfriend (Jan Smithers and Joe Penny) who facedifficulties with the Vietnam war. Then you have a cast of remarkable youngsters (including a very energetic and sexy P.J. Soles) who support David in his final hour of running. Taking place in the sixties, if you want to make a film that is both coming of age and psychological in the eyes of young male adolescents, this is the way to do it. The star of this film is a runner, which alot of people can relate to. As I said, this came before "Chariots of Fire" so it is definitely worth a look. Produced by big man Samuel Z. Arkoff, and Joe Roth, and released byAmerican International Pictures, the same company that released Wes Craven's"Last House on the Left", and directed by future acclaimed director JosephRuben, this film was made to look good, and does on several levels. The onlystars on this film that ever made it into any bigger than this were Dennis Quaid and P.J. Soles(whom were both married after this, as I am told.) Film with this subject matter have since grown very banal, and tiring, and don't sell anymore. This film was one of the first, and is the most unknown of the bunch. Ensemble cast film is hard driving and very dramatic, with some comic touches to be seen. And of course, anyone who has ever wanted to win for themselves will get themessage of this one. Good music by Charles Fox, and cinematography bySteven M. Katz. 7.5/10