Friday movie pick

by chuckofish

I don’t know why The Best of Times (1986) was not a commercial success when it was first released, because it is one of my favorites. I think it’s funny, and it appeals to me on a nostalgic level. Robin Williams plays Jack Dundee, a thirty-ish banker who cannot let go of his failure to catch a pass in “the big game” back in 1972, a move which (in his mind) made him the goat forever. His best friend Reno Hightower (Kurt Russell), the quarterback and high school hero, wrecked his knee in the game and ended his football career. They live in a crestfallen, has-been town. Then Dundee hits on the idea of re-playing the game and regaining their self-esteem.

Kurt Russell and Robin Williams are in top form. I like them both very much and Robin always reminds me of my brother (especially in this movie). It endears him to me. This movie even boasts a 15-year-old Kirk Cameron as Kurt’s son.

The movie is funny and sweet and there is very little vulgarity. The literary reference in the title infers that high school was also the worst of times, which we all know is true. And most of us can relate to Robin’s character: “I’m not a has-been, I’m a never-was. I aspire to be a has-been.”