The Best of Times
The Best of Times
PG-13 | 31 January 1986 (USA)
The Best of Times Trailers

A small-town loser determines to have one more shot at the big time by winning a football game.

Reviews
Harockerce What a beautiful movie!
Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
SnoopyStyle Moron, California was renamed Taft after the discovery of oil. The town suffers from a losing streak until 1972 when star quarterback Reno Hightower (Kurt Russell) seemed poised to win against hated rival Bakersfield. Hightower suffered a career ending knee injury as he launched the perfect game winning pass. Jack Dundee (Robin Williams) dropped the ball and has been haunted by that moment. Present day, he is a bank VP and married to the boss's daughter. His boss, the Colonel, is a big Bakersfield booster who taunts him relentlessly. Reno's life is stale and his wife Gigi (Pamela Reed) wants a divorce to try singing in L.A. Jack gets his car fixed every week by Reno but it's only an excuse to drive the loaner out to the massage parlor to see former Homecoming Queen Darla. She comes up with the idea to replay the game which ended in a tie. Using lies and blackmail, Jack convinces the town to battle Bakersfield once more.I like the general concept of this black comedy. I'm fine with Jack being a little weasel although Robin Williams may be wasted in this role. I would like more friendship between him and Reno. Their bitterness taints the chemistry. It makes the movie less fun than it should be. In the end, the few laughs are just enough to make this work.
rdwithcoldwell The Best of Times is one of the great sleepers of all time. The setup does not tax your patience, the development is steady, the many intertwined relationships are lovingly established, the gags and bits all work and all are funny. There is lots of sentimentality. Kurt Russell playing Reno Hightower puts in one of his best performances, and Robin Williams playing Jack Dundee is sure-footed as ever. The cast also includes many great supporters. Jack's wife is played by Jack Palance's daughter, who is lovely, as is Reno's wife, who is a great comedian. I can't tell you how many times I've watched this movie, how many times I have enjoyed it and how often I wish that more people could see it.
disdressed12 i had low hopes for this movie,having recently seen another so called football/comedy movie.this one wasn't bad however.there were some moments were i chuckled,and there is one dinner scene which is absolutely hysterical.Robin Williams is one of the stars,so you can expect some manic energy.the dialogue was okay for the most part,but there was one scene(the dinner scene again)where it rises above okay and into near brilliance Kurt Russel also turns in a good performance he and Robin Willinam work wheel off each other..there is a lot of character development in this film-almost too much,to the detriment of other aspects of the film.however the film does end up redeeming itself before the end.The basic premise is:Robin Willima plays Jack Dundee a small town man living in the past,specifiably 13years earlier.you see in 1972 Jack was thrown a pass which would have tied the football game with his town's arch rivals.instead Jack bobbles the catch,losing the game.he has been a laughingstock for the past 13 years.Kurt Russel is Reno Hightower,the quarterback who threw the pass, and still Jack's friend.in order to finally make peace with his demons,Jack convinces Reno and the whole town to replay the 1972 game against Bakersfield-with the same players.i won't reveal any more but you can probably figure out the rest.that is this movies biggest weakness-its predictability.but it manages to rise above it. 6*/10
mm-39 Spoiler This movie is about such a concept. Williams will go to any low in order to replay the football game that haunts his life. Russel plays the ex jock who peaked in high school. Finally the under dog get its shot, and Williams can save face, instead of being the clown. A great reverse tragedy. 7/10