An unexpected masterpiece

A Major Disappointment

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Spoilers herein.We have to take this seriously, because it comes from the writer of some of the best films in history. But he has directed only a few projects, and he knows enough to keep them cardboard cutout simple. Sports and sex competitors for the soul in the real world, but Towne's world is a fantasy world where any set of powerful forces can be contrived to bump up against one another.So he started with these two forces, obviously selected for their cinematic power. The lesbian angle is unusual enough (in mainstream cinema terms) to bind the two. Everything else follows: the bodies, the `real' bisexual athlete. It's illustrative to me to perceive what this man does get and what he doesn't.Obviously, he understands that passion, and sex, and bodies (though not necessarily related here) sell. Towne also understands what it means to have a talented cinematographer, someone who can put a little energy into the outing. He also turns the natural blond into a redhead. He understand film iconography all right.What he misses is the plain fact that situation falls outside that misty world of film romance we allow ourselves to accept without question. We don't blindly accept it and look for `reasons' where we wouldn't if it were any other kind of relationship. And finding the reasons artificial, we chuck the whole thing.I personally didn't mind Mariel's lack of art. I'm increasingly appreciating the placement of actors in roles where the deficiency of the person matches that of the character.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 4: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

I have always loved this classic tale of two cool, starry-eyed, cross-country, long-legged distance runners, tragically hailing from opposite sides of the border town track and bar, who manage to break free and sprint halfway to mingle and drool over vodka and KY jelly-filled donuts before making a mad lovers' dash through customs whilst en route to Denmark to consummate their same-sex, syringe-friendly, lesbian marriage. This film fondly reminded me of my own modestly unhappy youth growing up in the outskirts of rural Kashmir country with Brenda, a olympic champion skeet shooter, my ex-former lover, and dedicated but untrustworthy carefree confidante, in a seedy neighborhood where our loyalties were constantly challenged, torn, undermined, and resurrected, only to have the cycle repeat itself like a never-ending perpetual monthly calendar. While Personal Best makes little chronological or other sense, any attempt to introduce a plot would inexorably distract attention from its sensually accurate detailed depictions of the morbidly anorexic female form. Gynecologically speaking, I found this movie to be quite a workout, with my quadriceps twitching in tandem with the characters,' eventually achieving a harmonious, sedentary, fleeting, runners' high. So high, in point of fact, that I levitated slowly out of my stadium theatre seat and joined the Buddha perched on a wall above to share a moment of clarity, whereupon my pacemaker and chronographic watch simultaneously and momentarily stopped ticking. Thank you for this movie!

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

"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'. **1/2 from ****