Personal Best

"When you run into yourself you run into feelings you never thought you had."

1982 2h 4m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 57

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Young sprinter Chris Cahill is having difficulty reaching her potential as an athlete, until she meets established track star Tory Skinner. As Tory and her coach help Chris with her training, the two women form friendship that evolves into a romantic relationship. Their intimacy, however, becomes complicated when Chris' improvement causes them to be competitors for the Olympic team.

“When you run into yourself you run into feelings you never thought you had.”

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Cast

Mariel Hemingway
Chris Cahill
Patrice Donnelly
Tory Skinner
Scott Glenn
Terry Tingloff
Kenny Moore
Denny Stites
Jim Moody
Roscoe Travis
Larry Pennell
Rick Cahill
Luana Anders
Rita Cahill
George De La Pena
Raoul

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Towne
Writers: Robert Towne, Nikita Knatz
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 36% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Towne, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jack Nitzsche. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jere Huggins shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mariel Hemingway and Patrice Donnelly and Scott Glenn carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When you run into yourself you run into feelings you never thought you had.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Towne directs. Michael Chapman behind the camera. Jack Nitzsche scores. Jere Huggins cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 36% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
244 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
4Directed by Robert Towne, shot by Michael Chapman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jack Nitzsche. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jere Huggins shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Mariel Hemingway and Patrice Donnelly and Scott Glenn carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "When you run into yourself you run into feelings you never thought you had.".
9IMDB entry: tt0084489 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 57 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "sports", "lesbian relationship", "female homosexuality", "lgbt athlete".