The Best of Times

Have you ever in your life, gone out for a sport's activity, tried your best, and then found yourself in an important segment of it, where for a brief moment, you were given a chance to be a hero and a champion and . . . failed? I believe many of us have had that moment in our lives. This is the premise of the movie, "The Best of Times." In this story a middle age banker, named Jack Dundee (Robin Williams) suffers from the deep melancholy of a football mistake, which happened years ago, is inspired to re-play the game . . again. In order to accomplish this he must convince the once great football quarterback, Reno Hightower (Kurt Russell) to make a comeback. For Reno, who is satisfied with his present lot in life, see's no need to change the past record, which get's better as he ages. Added to both their problem is the fact years have passed and in addition, both their marriages are floundering and in need of re-vamping. Not easy when his Father-in-law (Donald Moffat) habitually reminds him of the biggest drop. Nevertheless, Dundee is persistent and will do anything to try and correct the greatest blunder of his life. Great fun for anyone wishing to enjoy their youth again. ***

Underrated movie with a host of famous and near-famous actors/actresses playing "everyman" roles. Football, memories, mud and Robin Williams. OMG!!! This is one of those gems I watch every few years just because it makes me happy. Who hasn't had those moments of "What might have been...?" Ron Shelton's clever, funny and emotional screenplay was brought to life with a talented cast -- yet it failed at the box office. Of course it was competing at the theaters in 1986 when "Top Gun", "Crocodile Dundee", "Stand By Me", "Ferris Bueller", "Platoon", "Peggy Sue Got Married"... and other such classics were trouncing any other good movies. It didn't stand a chance - and has since been forgotten it seems. What a shame. This is a quality movie.

Quick plot: Robin Williams is a high school nerd who dropped the pass that cost the tiny town their destiny win against their biggest rival. He can't forget it -- and neither can anyone else in town. Due to the loss, Robin and the town "quietly faded into lethargy" as he so eloquently states in the opening moments of the film. Ten years later, Robin has an epiphany to replay "the big game" with ALL the old players - from both teams - in hopes of overcoming the depression and pudgy pre-middle-age everyone in the town have seemingly slipped into over these many years. What transpires are the hits (and hilarious misses) of putting those lovable losers back together as a team and maybe reviving the dying town - and their marriages and friendships in the process.

This is an excellent, very funny story about a brave little town forgotten by everyone except the eccentric inhabitants who can't forget the most bitter of endings at the stone hands of a "never-was". Robin Williams is perfect as the pompous-yet-lovable nerdy banker whose inner demons are the catalyst for such a classic re-imagining of their most famous game. Kurt Russell was breaking out of his Disneyesque golden boy image at the time of this movie (remember "Escape from New York"?), so his out-of-shape ex-All-World high school quarterback who has nothing but fading memories of his glory years persona is spot-on. Williams and Russell are comedic gold in this story. Add in all kinds of quirky, character actors and actresses filling the town and teams with an enjoyable experience of football in the mud and attempting to change one's destiny when everyone else has given up on you. I'm thankful to have seen this over and over again. It's just that much fun. :-)

Re-watch this movie. It will be special again. And if you've never had an opportunity to watch it before, I envy you. This is funny, nostalgic, intelligent, athletic, and has just a touch of emotional journey that will not only put a smile on your face, but possibly a tear in your eye at the end. I. Love. This. Movie. 8 out of 10.

Jack & Reno have become very mediocre married men, but they have one claim to fame: they were heroes in high school when they played football. The only problem is they lost "that game," the one most important game of the season; then they went on to live their lives, marry the high school sweethearts, and never got a chance to redeem themselves. This has become an obsession, to the point where they can't do anything but think about football. They watch every game that's on.

The problem is, their wives are sick to death of hearing about it- so sick of hearing about football, they are talking about divorce. Still- this obsession is almost as important to them as their marriages.

There is an hilarious scene in which they have finally talked their wives into giving them one more chance, and the four of them are having dinner together. Unfortunately, the wives have picked the worst night of the week to ask them over for dinner: football night. As the four of them sit at the dinner table, the wives are unaware that the football game is on in the next room, and they are more absorbed in the game than in the conversation at table. Watching out of the corners of their eyes, they finally blow their own cover by hollering and screaming at an exciting football play.

Of course, they end the movie with a horribly-played game in which they redeem themselves and everybody is happy ever after. It is the study of men and how they tend to focus on their masculine pursuits to the most ridiculous extremes. And it is a study of how women deal with these "boys will be boys" types. Very real, very funny, and something many of us can surely identify with!!

I have always liked this film ever since I saw it when I was a teenager. It wasn't a hit and no one really saw it but it is the kind of film that grows on me every time I see it. It is a predictable but winning little comedy about the desire that one might have to relive and redo mistakes in their past.

It stars Robin Williams and Kurt Russell Jack and Reno. They are friends since high school and played football. William dropped a perfect pass in a game that his team would have won against an arch rival. He is haunted by that drop. He is living in the past, thinking that his life would be better if only he would have caught the pass. Kurt Russell was the star QB in high school but is now a van painting specialist who has a wife that wants to leave him. Hack gets the idea of replaying the fame so that he could try to correct his past. Williams is very funny as Jack, and Kurt Russell is very good as Reno. They have great chemistry. The whole thing about playing the game is standard come back stuff but the charm of this film is that it's very well acted by all and sweet. It has no.orher pretentions than that and it works on that level. It is really the kind of nice comedy that isn't really made these days.

Grade: B

Why did this movie fail commercially? It's got a sharp script (by Ron Shelton) and great performances by Kurt Russell and, especially, Robin Williams, in a brilliant manic nerd turn that's different from any of his other work. A great renter.