Personal Best
Personal Best

Watch Personal Best Online Free

- 63/100 based on 3,123 votes
  • Released: 1982
  • Runtime: 124 mins
  • Director:
  • Studio: Geffen Pictures
  • Genres: Drama

1976. Chris Cahill and Torry Skinner are US national caliber track and field athletes, Chris in the 100 meter hurdles, and Torry in the pentathlon. Chris has the natural ability to be great but she doesn't possess the confidence or drive, while Torry, who has less natural ability, psychologically knows what it takes to be great, leading to Torry making the Olympic team finishing second in her event, while Chris has a disastrous Olympic trial. Torry can see the potential in Ch... (Full plot summary below)

Watch MOVIES for FREE on Prime Video

Enjoy FREE movies and series with your Prime (USA) subscription or when you start a 30-day free trial!

Share this

Personal Best Online Streaming

Links compiled using automated software. Availability of offers subject to change / might be region specific / out of date.

Rent Personal Best on DVD

Rent Personal Best on Blu-ray

Today's Featured Movies:

For a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars More
Burn After ReadingBurn After Reading
The Tomorrow WarThe Tomorrow War
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia
Big FishBig Fish
The TerminalThe Terminal
VertigoVertigo
ApocalyptoApocalypto
A Fistful of DollarsA Fistful of Dollars
It's a Wonderful LifeIt's a Wonderful Life
Underworld: EvolutionUnderworld: Evolution
SnatchSnatch
A.I. Artificial IntelligenceA.I. Artificial Intelligence
ChinatownChinatown
The RingThe Ring
Seven PoundsSeven Pounds

You Might Also Like:

Courtship at the OfficeCourtship at the Office
Bad Boy BuckBad Boy Buck
Three of HeartsThree of Hearts
Stay HungryStay Hungry
FlowFlow
The SecretThe Secret

Actors in Personal Best:

Mariel Hemingway
Patrice Donnelly
Scott Glenn
Kenny Moore
Jim Moody
Kari G. Peyton

Full Plot Details

1976. Chris Cahill and Torry Skinner are US national caliber track and field athletes, Chris in the 100 meter hurdles, and Torry in the pentathlon. Chris has the natural ability to be great but she doesn't possess the confidence or drive, while Torry, who has less natural ability, psychologically knows what it takes to be great, leading to Torry making the Olympic team finishing second in her event, while Chris has a disastrous Olympic trial. Torry can see the potential in Chris, and tries to convince her coach at Cal Poly, Terry Tingloff, to coach Chris, Terry who will only allow Chris to train with the team without his guidance in he only having seen her disastrous performance at the trials. Although not ideal in that no scholarship money is involved, Chris accepts the offer against the wishes of her father, who currently coaches her. In their time together, Chris and Torry embark on a relationship, each seeing in the other what each doesn't possess, their attraction thus sexual as well as emotional. Eventually, Terry does see in Chris what Torry saw from the start, he who not only decides to train her, but convinces her that the event in which she should compete is the pentathlon in possessing the strength, speed and flexibility to be that all around athlete. Terry in particular cannot see a friendship let alone a sexual relationship exist between the two women who are now in competition, especially in the lead up to the 1980 Olympic trials. Through the ups and downs of both their friendship and sexual relationship, Chris and Torry may demonstrate what it means to be one's own personal best, especially in an environment where winning seems to be the goal at all cost.

Review & Comments

Leave your thoughts about Personal Best.

Movie Reviews

Time Out - 10/10 by Derek AdamsThe sort of nerve required to produce an excellent screenplay like Chinatown seems to have deserted Towne in this, his directorial debut.
Chicago Sun-Times - 10/10 by Roger EbertWhat distinguishes Personal Best is that it creates specific characters--flesh-and-blood people with interesting personalities, people I cared about. “Personal Best” also seems knowledgeable about its two subjects, which are the weather of these women's hearts, and the world of Olympic sports competition.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) - 10/10 by Jay ScottPERSONAL BEST offers a detailed, believable insider's portrait of the world of track and field. This very different sports film isn't for everyone, but patient viewers should find many small pleasures in it.
Film Comment Magazine - 9/10 by Chuck StephensWhich horrible Eighties haircut to choose? Regardless, you'll be rewarded with some of the most startling and texturally stunning American cinema of that largely barren zone shortly thereafter to be known as the Reagan era. Score!
rec.arts.movies.reviews - 8/10 by Dragan AntulovHemingway excels in a difficult and risky role.
Chicago Reader - 8/10 by Dave KehrThe characters have a fullness and vitality rare in American films of that period, but Towne has so much trouble establishing information visually that the film emerges as choppy, confused, ill-proportioned.
ColeSmithey.com - 8/10 by Cole Smithey[VIDEO] Although screenwriter Robert Towne's directorial debut fell largely on deaf ears when it was released in 1982 "Personal Best" remains a powerful examination of high-stakes female athletes during the late '70s...
Boston Globe - 8/10 by Bruce McCabeRobert Towne's Personal Best is a flashy, hip and quite fascinating investigation into the arduous process of working out sexual identity in today's narcissistic society and culture.
Spirituality and Practice - 8/10 by Frederic and Mary Ann BrussatA robust and adventuresome film that is both tough and sentimental in its portrait of Olympic grade women athletes.
MovieMartyr.com - 7/10 by Jeremy HeilmanEndowed 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.

Browse Movie Genres

Other Links

Personal Best

Watch Online For Free | Free Movies | Movie Genres | Most Viewed | Top Rated | Latest Releases

About Us • Affiliates • Terms of Use • Disclaimer • Cookies • Privacy Policy • Copyright • DMCA Compliance • Contact Us • Language Settings

Copyright © 2004 - 2016 Watch Online For Free or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Imagery, artwork, logos, service marks, and trademarks used on this page are the intellectual property of their respective companies.

Related Websites: Amazon Prime Free Trial - DVD Rental Free Trial - Free Prime Video Trial - Movie Trailers