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.
Personal Best
1982
Action / Drama / Sport
Personal Best
1982
Action / Drama / Sport
Plot summary
1976. Chris Cahill and Torry Skinner are US national caliber track and field athletes, Chris in the 100 meter hurdles, and Torry in the pentathlon. Chris has the natural ability to be great but she doesn't possess the confidence or drive, while Torry, who has less natural ability, psychologically knows what it takes to be great, leading to Torry making the Olympic team finishing second in her event, while Chris has a disastrous Olympic trial. Torry can see the potential in Chris, and tries to convince her coach at Cal Poly, Terry Tingloff, to coach Chris, Terry who will only allow Chris to train with the team without his guidance in he only having seen her disastrous performance at the trials. Although not ideal in that no scholarship money is involved, Chris accepts the offer against the wishes of her father, who currently coaches her. In their time together, Chris and Torry embark on a relationship, each seeing in the other what each doesn't possess, their attraction thus sexual as well as emotional. Eventually, Terry does see in Chris what Torry saw from the start, he who not only decides to train her, but convinces her that the event in which she should compete is the pentathlon in possessing the strength, speed and flexibility to be that all around athlete. Terry in particular cannot see a friendship let alone a sexual relationship exist between the two women who are now in competition, especially in the lead up to the 1980 Olympic trials. Through the ups and downs of both their friendship and sexual relationship, Chris and Torry may demonstrate what it means to be one's own personal best, especially in an environment where winning seems to be the goal at all cost.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 1.15 GB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Movie Reviews
Reviewed by
not perfect, but important
Reviewed by
The best movie about athletes ever
I believe this movie was the first, and best, movie to treat the relationship between sex and athletic performance in a serious and non stereotypical way. Other films treated athletes as either eunuch/priests whose only concern was their athletic performance, or as over sexed satyrs who required sex as a release and/or distraction from the rigors of training, or sexual relations were gratuitously thrown in as a prerequisite romantic line to draw in a bigger audience.In Personal Best the sexual aspect was actually integral to the plot. We see how sex gets people better opportunities, drives wedges between competitors, and induces self sacrifice--albeit in this case all for naught.I will admit that some of the nude scenes appeared to be gratuitous on the surface, but when you analyze the film you see it was really necessary to show how all those firm toned naked bodies in semi-erotic poses (necessary for maximum athletic performance, I might add) could lead someone down the path to homosexuality.Overall, this movie is a masterpiece of its genre that is interesting, stimulating, and exciting for people of all persuasions.
Reviewed by
good relationship and sports movie
In the 1976 US Olympic trials, Chris Cahill (Mariel Hemingway) chokes under her father's coaching. Tory Skinner (Patrice Donnelly) comes in second coached by Terry Tingloff (Scott Glenn). Chris has a breakdown that night and Tory comforts her. That night, they have a lesbian relationship. Tory convinces Terry to take on Chris.
It's a sensitive portrayal of a lesbian relationship. The massive amount of nudity does raise the question of how exploitive this movie is. Although the camera does leer at the young women, the romance is not some pulp fiction concoction. It's sweet. It's complicated. It feels real. It's also a striped down behind-the-scene look at Olympic athletes. Patrice isn't a pro actor but does quite well. Mariel has the sweet innocent quality. It's a good relationship movie and a good sports movie.