Now some movies become giants, some become cult favorites, and some just hang around because they’ve got a certain scruffy little charm you can’t quite shake. Today we’re reviewing a sports-comedy-drama that never became one of the all-time heavy hitters, but it absolutely feels like the kind of movie that can find a second life with people who love 80s comfort cinema, underdog stories, and football movies with a little mud on their jersey.
And honestly, that’s kind of the appeal here. In this episode of “Classics Never Say Die” we’re looking back at The Best of Times. This isn’t some polished, unstoppable classic. It’s a little loose, a little shaggy, a little uneven, but it’s also funny, warm, and weirdly easy to root for. So let’s break down the “wins”, the “misses”, and the “maybes” in this relic of 80s cinema.
The Basic Setup
Released in 1986, The Best of Times was directed by Roger Spottiswoode, written by Ron Shelton, and stars Robin Williams and Kurt Russell, with Pamela Reed and Holly Palance in key supporting roles.
Now the setup here is simple, and also kind of wonderfully ridiculous. Robin Williams plays Jack Dundee, a man still haunted by one dropped pass from a high school football game years earlier. So he decides the only sensible adult solution is to recreate the game and settle the score once and for all. With Kurt Russell playing Reno Hightower, the former local football hero who threw the dropped pass getting pulled into the madness.
So right away, you know what kind of movie this is. It’s part sports comedy, part small-town character piece, part midlife crisis in shoulder pads, part buddy-comedy, and when it leans into that combination, The Best of Times gets pretty damn lovable.
What Works
The big thing that works here is the underdog spirit. At its core, this is a movie about regret, second chances, and the very 80s belief that redemption cures all. All of which serves as a strong foundation, because even when the movie gets a little silly, it always has that emotional engine underneath it. That part keeps it from feeling disposable. Which gives the whole thing just enough of a pulse to connect with.
What also really helps is the (random) pairing of Robin Williams and Kurt Russell. They are such an odd couple on paper, which in retrospect is exactly why they work. Russell feels completely at home here. He gives Reno this relaxed, grounded presence that makes him feel like a real small-town legend who never quite left the parking lot of his own glory days. Williams, meanwhile, brings nervous energy, charm, and that familiar sense that his mind is always running half a lap ahead of everybody else. And together, they give the movie its entire identity.
Because that chemistry definitely matters, this is not a movie that lives or dies on plot mechanics. It lives on personality. It lives on how these guys bounce off each other. It lives on the feeling that one of them is trying to duct-tape his life back together. While the other is just trying to avoid getting dragged into the renewed spectacle. And I think their scenes give the movie a rhythm, and they keep it lively even when the story wanders. So the Russell and Williams dynamic really is the secret sauce of The Best of Times.
Another strength is the football itself. A lot of movies use sports like decorative parsley, it’s technically on the plate, but you’re not really there for it. This one actually gets a lot of mileage out of the football angle. You get the comical training, the buildup, the ragtag personalities, the small-town pride, and the very satisfying contrast between the scrappy dreamers and the polished opposition. So, when the movie is focused on the game, or when the stadium lights are bright, this movie is at its best.
That’s also where the comedy plays the strongest. Not in a broad joke-delivery way, but in the way the entire town starts orbiting this ridiculous idea like it’s the most important civic event since the new stoplight at the town intersection. There’s just something very funny about how seriously everyone takes something this absurd which is part of the fun. The movie understands that small-town pride can be both deeply sincere and a little unhinged, and it gets a lot of mileage out of that.
And maybe my favorite thing about this one is the overall tone. It has this low-budget, lived-in charm that actually helps it. It doesn’t feel slick. It feels homemade in the best sense. Like a movie that knows exactly what kind of world it wants to live in and doesn’t mind having a little mud stain on its sleeve. So, that texture gives it personality. Because even when it gets predictable, it still feels like its own odd little football fable.
What Doesn’t Work as Well
With all that said, the movie definitely isn’t perfect. The biggest issue is the second act. It starts spending too much time on the “will they, won’t they?” relationship material, and the problem is, it’s not just one of those subplots. It doubles up on them for both Russell and Williams. This creates a few stretches where the movie loses some of its forward momentum and starts circling instead of driving. This is when you can feel the story waiting to get back to the game, and you’re kind of waiting right along with it.
There’s also the issue of Jack as a character. Williams is so naturally charming that he keeps the performance afloat, but the character himself can be a little frustrating. He lies, manipulates, and pushes things along in ways that make him less lovable than the movie probably wants him to be. It’s not a fatal flaw, because Williams smooths over a lot of the rough edges, but it does keep the movie from fully settling into that pure crowd-pleaser lane.
And yes, it’s predictable. You can see the broad shape of this movie from pretty early on. But to be fair, predictability is not always a crime in a feel-good 80s sports comedy. Sometimes it’s just part of the contract. The question is whether the movie earns the payoff anyway, and for me, mostly, The Best of Times does.
Behind-the-Scenes / Production Context
One thing that makes this movie interesting to revisit is the Ron Shelton factor. This was written by Shelton before Bull Durham made him one of the signature sports-movie voices of the late 80s and into the 90s, and you can already feel that fascination with how sports, ego, memory, and community all tangle together. Even here, before the home run swing, you can see him working in that mental territory.
It also helps that the movie was shot around Taft Union High School, with football scenes filmed at Pierce Junior College and Moorpark High School. That gives the whole thing a very grounded California small-town texture. It doesn’t feel like a glossy studio version of this world. It feels dusty, local, specific, and that works in the movie’s favor. It gives the whole thing a little extra authenticity, even when the plot is operating on pure emotional moon logic.
Box Office
When it hit theaters however, The Best of Times just didn’t break out. It pulled in $2.4M to take the 7th spot on its opening weekend and would top out with $7.7M, on a $12M budget. So this was not one of those movies that came storming out of the gate. Russell and Williams weren’t really household names at the time. Russell did Escape from New York and The Thing. Williams had Popeye and was more known for his sitcom Mork & Mindy so their names didn’t quite equate to star power at the time, leading to this movie quietly slipping under the radar.
Legacy / Why It Still Matters
Now what I think keeps The Best of Times alive is not that it reinvented the sports movie. Because it certainly didn’t. It’s that it has a heart, personality, and two stars who make the whole thing go down easy. It’s one of those movies that feels like a cable-era hand-me-down. Maybe not pristine, definitely not elite, but absolutely watchable, and kind of comforting because of its flaws, instead of in spite of them.
It also works as a nice snapshot of mid-80s studio filmmaking, when you could still get a modest, offbeat sports comedy built around star chemistry and a town full of eccentrics. It feels like a movie from a specific era, and sometimes that alone is part of the magic. Not every revisit has to be about greatness. Sometimes it’s about rediscovering something that still has a pulse.
Final Verdict
So at the end of the day, The Best of Times is an imperfect but genuinely charming little underdog movie. It’s got a fun premise, strong chemistry between Russell and Williams, a surprisingly solid football backbone, and enough small-town personality to carry you through the rough patches.
So for my grade, The Best of Times gets a solid a 7 out of 10.
It definitely has its issues. The second act drags, some of the relationship material gums up the works, and Jack can be a tougher hang than the movie realizes. But when it gets back on the field, both literally and emotionally, it delivers where it counts. And if you’re a fan of 80s sports comedies, Kurt Russell, Robin Williams, or just movies that feel like they’ve been sitting on a beloved VHS shelf for forty years, this one is absolutely worth revisiting.
Anthony J. Digioia II © 2026 SilverScreen Analysis & Movies Never Say Die
