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Robin Williams, Kurt Russell, Pamela Reed, Holly Palance, Donald Moffat ... see more see more... , Margaret Whitton , M. Emmet Walsh , Donovan Scott , R.G. Armstrong , Carl Ballantine , Dog: Buck , J.P. Bumstead , Kirk Cameron , Eloy Casados , Christopher Cory , Jake Dengel , Robert Dickman , Jeff Doucette , Kurt Fox , Kathleen Freeman , Hugh Gillin , Anne Haney , Linda Hart , Hap Lawrence , Robyn Lively , Wayne Montanio , Tony Plana , Adam Rose , William G. Schilling , Jeff Severson , Nick Shields , Hugo L. Stanger , Dub Taylor , Peter Van Norden , Philippe Gerard , Wayne Adderson , Patrick Brennan , Marie Cain , Raymond W. Clanto , Cathy Cheryl Davis , Hilary Davis , Mike Douglas , Herman Edwards , Jim Giovanni , Michelle Guastello , Vister Hayes , Brenda Huggins , Christopher Mankiewicz , Peggy Moyer , Fred A. Nelson , Bill Overton , Chuck Ramsey , Steve Riley , Kim Romano , Norm Schachter , Steve Shargo , Susan Signorelli , Darryl B. Smith , Kelly Thomas , Iron Jaw Wilson , Michael Rich

Small-town banker Robin Williams has never been able to live down the fact that he dropped an important pass during a crucial high-school football game. Likewise tainted for life is the team's star qu... read more read more...arterback Kurt Russell, now a garage owner. Fed up with living his life under a cloud, Williams hits upon a brilliant idea: he will stage a rematch-13 years after the fact--with the members of the rival team. Trouble beckons when Williams' father-in-law announces that he's rooting for the opposition. Williams is determined to win, and in pursuit of that goal he pushes his former teammates to hitherto untapped brilliance. Directed by Roger Spottiswood, The Best of Times was written by Ron Shelton, future writer/director of such delightful sports films as Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump and Tin Cup; it was Shelton, in fact, who directed most of Best of Times' climactic football game. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

40% liked it

6,215 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

12 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode

Release Date: January 31, 1986

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DVD Release Date: February 2, 1999

 

Stats: 149 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (149)

  • danperry17
    July 4, 2010
    danperry17
    Movies for a rainy Saturday afternoon. One of the corniest movies you'll ever see, a real one-trick pony: what if you could replay that one moment in life where it all went wrong? Terrible, hackneyed dialogue and mailed-in performances by Williams and Russell. Williams's characte... read morer is completely unbelievable, and maybe too young for the role.

    This movie doesn't know what it wants to be. Comedy? Parody? Meaningful slice-of-life/Americana? Sports classic? It trucks in high-mindedness and obsession, but every piece of dialogue clunks with exposition and it takes way too long to get to the game.

    Good idea, about breaking a dying town out of its funk, but it makes for an overwrought movie that's not much fun to watch. A curious relic from that 80's urban cowboy thing, fits well with Footloose, Road House, The Complete John Mellencamp, Jeep YJs, GWG jeans, etc.
  • nickymo89
    July 23, 2008
    nickymo89
    A mediocre film about chasing lost glory that never really finds it's way.
  • ileo
    December 27, 2007
    ileo
    Great movie.
  • threefolddado
    December 23, 2007
    threefolddado
    Um, not a winning, offbeat classic. A bland, neither hot nor cold kind of yawn.
  • bentravers5
    February 2, 2012
    bentravers5
    Just caught this on TV and it reminded me how hilarious it is. A perfect movie to relive the glory days with the right amount of hindsight humor.
  • iamthethinman
    October 1, 2011
    iamthethinman
    Pretty much out of nowhere, I thought of this movie after saying "the man who dropped the ball" to myself. I went home and checked to see if it was streaming on Netfilx. It was, and I watched it last night. I had not even thought about this movie since I watched it on VHS (yep, I... read more'm old. Check the profile) in the 80s.

    To my surprise, the story revolves around Taft and Bakersfield (I had family who lived there and visited it twice and it sucked bad both times). Not to my surprise it wasn't very funny. Still, it was a weird sort of nostalgia watching it. It's funny to see Robin Williams in movies before they figured out what to do with him. And I'll admit that Kurt Russell is unsung and I like him as an actor. I guess this movie could have achieved higher. But, it settled in just about to where I would expect. The lower middle.
  • MovieGuruDude72
    June 26, 2007
    MovieGuruDude72
    Anyone who wishes they could go back and re-live a big high school sporting event will identify with this movie. A classic.
  • benttuttle
    May 5, 2007
    benttuttle
    Just caught this on TV and it reminded me how hilarious it is. A perfect movie to relive the glory days with the right amount of hindsight humor.
  • elisaroberts
    January 26, 2007
    elisaroberts
    I think that "the best of the periods" was a cause lost to obtain it goes. I hope that this film was not green fire with Shelton launching the history as I wrote in top. A no such chance. Robin Williams and Kurt Russell hold the first role in wire. It is a so lame duck comedy wit... read moreh a lame duck manuscript that one can only shake them to ask for heads what could have been. Neither one nor the other type realizes that they were invited more Monday and, yes, Monday the football of night is lit. Later while Russell starts to undertake the steps on his Williams wife rolls television in their sight of another part.
  • southcountydave
    October 28, 2006
    southcountydave
    A classic and very underrated comedy about redemption.Robin Williams and Kurt Russell make a great comedic duo.20 years after dropping the potential game winning pass for Taft High in the big game against Bakersfield,Robin Williams tries to stage a replay.Makes for a very enjoyab... read morele film that was overlooked when it first came out,but holds up well as a great sports comedy

View All The Best of Times Reviews

Critic Reviews

Walter Goodman
May 21, 2003
Walter Goodman, New York Times

Such a rouser that it almost makes up for the incomplete passes and stopped runs that precede it. Full Review

Steve Crum
May 31, 2005
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Nostalgic fantasy about replaying that high school game with all the jock pals.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 25, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Speaks to our fantasies of rectifying mistakes of the past but drops the ball on a satire on small town foibles and marital discord.

Scott Weinberg
July 17, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Forgotten by most yet seemingly adored by those who choose to remember it, The Best of Times stands in my book as one of the truly great sports comedies. Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
October 6, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
June 26, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Frank Swietek
June 22, 2004
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion

No review available.

Spence D.
January 29, 2004
Spence D., IGN Movies

No review available.

Rich Cline
October 15, 2003
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

No review available.

Philip Martin
January 31, 2003
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • Reno Hightower: Half these people came here tonight, Jack, to watch you catch ball. The other half came to see you drop it. You drop that damn thing again, Jack, your life is over.
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