Wednesday, April 7, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
page 9
4
.
'Personal Best' focuses on friends, competition
By David Thompson
Robert Townc did a very sensible thing when he wrote
his film Personal Best, lie knew that a lot of people would
come to see the film merely to ooh and aah at the homo
sexual love scene that has been made so much of. lie
knew that a lot of people would be attracted by the hype,
most notably the picture spread in Playboy magazine. He
didn't want his picture to be wasted by being nothing
more than a preamble to a love scene, however. So he
placed the scene within the first half hour so that, hope-
Movie
Review
fully, people could relax after that and listen to the real
point of the picture.
That was a smart move because Personal licst is con
cerned with much more than any statements about homo
sexuality. The film has been toted as an icebreaker, like
Making Love, because it is one of the first to deal with the
issue. People will be tuned in, waiting to sec what stand
he film will take on the issues, waiting for the moral of
he story. If they listen too hard they will miss the real
ocus of the film.
Personal Ih'st is not so moralistic as to confine itself to
uii issue. It is not about issues or statements, but people
athletes who are trying to juggle relationships with the
constant reach for physical perfection. The film is about
people who are trying to stretch their bodies to their lim
its despite all of the feelings inside them.
One of these people is Kris Cahill, played by Mariel
Hemingway. She is a young runner, and her talent has
caught the eye of an older, more mature runner, Tory
Skinner, played by Patrice Donnelly. Tory's interest in
Kris soon becomes more than athletic, and the love scene
is tenderly rendered. A few gasps of surprise may rise
from the audience, but that is to be expected. This is in
timacy that is new to the screen. After this, Kris and
Tory, as friends, lovers and athletes, set themselves to the
task of qualifying for the Olympic team.
A conflict soon presents itself within Kris and the rea
sons for it are easy to understand. She sees in Tory dif
ferent people. It is hard for her to keep straight in her
mind which one she is dealing with. It is difficult to ac
cept a pei son or: the track as a competitor and then at
home as a living companion. In one scene this becomes
clear as Kris and Tory are facing each other on a weight
machine. They stare into each other's eyes, standing close
to one another, the same bodies that have made love in
the past now challenging each other in a very different
form of physical contact.
To understand that the film is about competition is to
understand the necessity for the homosexuality. Had Kris
and Tory been a man and woman, the conflict would not
be as intense because men and women arc not expected to
compete athletically on an equal basis. Kris and Tory do
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compete equally, however, challenging each other on
equal terms in spite of the ultimate intimacy they have
shared. This competition between friends and within
themselves, this swirl of challenge and emotion, is the
heart of the film.
Such an intriguing heart docs not, however, mean that
the extremities will not be flawed. Robert Towne's
screenplay brings the love scene a little too early. When it
arrives we have no particular reason to expect it aside
from some flirty photography. And once they have be
come lovers, the dialogue occasionally degenerates into
the same jealous bickering we heai from heterosexual
couples.
This is not the only device Towne has resorted to. He
doesn't hesitate to get a few cheap laughs out of that per
ennial favorite among slapstick fans, the fat athlete. He
also couldn't resist the opportunity to compare the fe
male athletes to their male counterparts. At one point the
coach asks, "Do you really think that Chuck Noll has to
worry that Terry Bradshaw is going to cry if Franco Har
ris won't talk to him?" This is consistent with the behav
ior of the hard edged coach, however, so we accept it.
This coach, played by Scott Glenn who was last seen beat
ing women in Urban Cowboy, eventually makes a move
on Kris, just like every other male in the picture. Towne
said in an interview that "as a screenwriter you tend to
identify with women more," so it's no surprise that he has
neglected the men in his picture.
Michael Chapman's photography is outstanding in
some parts and mediocre in others, as inconsistent as it
was in Raging Hull, well done outdoors on the track but
sometimes falling to the level of made-for-television mov
ies when it steps inside. The movie is like that in many
respects, at times hitting the high points, clearing the hur
dles, and at other times falling smack onto the concrete.
The high points make it worthwhile. At the end any ques
tions on homosexuality are left cleverly unanswered. No
pro or con leaps off the screen at you. If you were waiting
for one the whole time the race was run, you missed a few
interesting sights along the way.
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WE'RE FIGHTING f-OR YOUR LIFE
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