Personal Best (1982)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:16
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Mariel Hemingway has a career-making star turn in this highly physical drama about two Olympic athletes who find each other during competitive training.
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Two highly competitive female athletes discover erotic feelings for each other as they train for the Olympics.
Starring: Mariel Hemingway, Scott Glenn, Patrice Donnelly, Kenny Moore
Director: Robert Towne
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Reviews for Personal Best
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 72/100 |
Endowed with remarkable performances, superb photography, and a clear vision of what matters to its characters, Personal Best is an underappreciated gem in a genre full of filler. Full Review |
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Personal Best is likable precisely because it is so unembarrassed. Full Review |
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Towne has a love of slow motion that's employed as if he's afraid you might miss one, rippling muscle. Worse than that, when people aren't exercising, they are often talking about exercising. Full Review |
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4/5 |
No review available.
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6/10 |
There's no questioning its authenticity.... However, the movie tends to make its points early and then repeat itself unnecessarily. Full Review |
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The sort of nerve required to produce an excellent screenplay like Chinatown seems to have deserted Towne in this, his directorial debut. Full Review |
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2/5 |
No review available.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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4/4 |
This is a very physical movie, one of the healthiest and sweatiest celebrations of physical exertion I can remember. Full Review |
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2.5/5 |
Unless you're fascinated by all of the prettified slow-motion footage of Chris, Tory and the other women athletes, your eye is likely to wander to your watch long before the end. Full Review |
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3/5 |
No review available.
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3/5 |
No review available.
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An unusual subject to get the Hollywood treatment though, and as such it should be commended, while Hemmingway is always worth catching. Full Review |
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7/10 |
Hemingway excels in a difficult and risky role. Full Review |
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5/5 |
One of the best movies ever about competition, with wonderfully natural performances.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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3/5 |
A frank, honest portrayal of the sacrifices of Olympic-caliber athletes. it is tough and uncompromising.
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3/5 |
No review available.
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3/5 |
No review available.
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A robust and adventuresome film that is both tough and sentimental in its portrait of Olympic grade women athletes. Full Review |
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