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IMDbPro

Personal Best

  • 1982
  • R
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
Personal Best (1982)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:09
2 Videos
99+ Photos
DramaSport

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, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.3/10
    3.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Towne
    • Writer
      • Robert Towne
    • Stars
      • Mariel Hemingway
      • Scott Glenn
      • Patrice Donnelly
    • 33User reviews
    • 20Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Personal Best
    Trailer 2:09
    Watch Personal Best
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 18
    Video 28:11
    Watch Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 18

    Photos119

    Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)
    Mariel Hemingway in Personal Best (1982)

    Top cast

    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
    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

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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

    User reviews33

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    5/10
    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 ****
    helpful•13
    4
    • moonspinner55
    • Mar 24, 2001

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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

    Technical specs

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

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