"Just throw me the Goddamn ball, Reno!"

Robin Williams’ Greatest Sports-Related Role Was In A Movie You’ve Probably Forgotten

Robin Williams as Jack Dundee in The Best of Times

by Rick Chandler | 8:34 pm, August 11th, 2014

                 

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It had become somewhat trendy to diss Robin Williams in recent years — and let’s face it, projects like “RV” and “Death to Smoochy” made it somewhat easy. But these are tiny blemishes, and who doesn’t have a few of those?

When I heard the news of his death, the first Williams movie I thought of was “The Best of Times”. Weird, huh?  (EDITOR"S NOTE:  This has always been one of my favorite sports movies)You may not even have seen it: from 1986, it told the story of small-town banker Jack Dundee (Williams), who, against the town’s better judgement, organizes a rematch of a fateful high school football game from 12 years before which he had lost by dropping a crucial pass. 

"Let's play some football you Commie pissants!

Williams never did much with sports themes on the big screen — aside from cycling, he wasn’t much of a fan (although he really got into the San Francisco Giants’ playoff run in 2010, attending almost every game). But “The Best of Times” was a beautiful exception: it was nostalgic, funny, heartwarming and, most of all, true.  

 

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The Best of Times is set in the town of Taft, California, where it was also filmed. The film opens with some details on the real history of the town, from its original name of Moron (before that term had any mental associations), to its oil boom days. It then paints a picture of a town that has been in a downward spiral for a long time, exemplified by its success when compared to other towns, and most particularly in the big game. Since the early 1900s, Taft’s biggest high school — the fictional Midway Union High School, though it’s just referred to as “Taft” in all but a few references in the film — has fielded a football team. And every year they play their big game of the season against nearby Bakersfield. And every year, Bakersfield slaughters Taft by 80 points or more. Every year except 1972.



In 1972, the quarterback and captain of the football field was Reno Hightower. Considered a jerk on and off the field, he was nevertheless unparalleled in Taft’s history at not only playing his best, but inspiring his team to play the best. Taft won against several of the other schools under his leadership. And in 1972, he brought Taft the closest they ever came to defeating Bakersfield, in a game that ended with a tie (overtime rules not being in place). But it wasn’t for lack of trying on Reno’s part. His last pass of the game was straight into the hands of third-string wide receiver Jack Dundee. And Jack, with the ball thrown perfectly to his hands, wide open with no defenders between him and the goal line… dropped the ball. And he’s been dropping the ball ever since. 

Reno and Jack never completely recover from failing to win the game. Reno injures his knee while being tackled on the last play, and a victory that would have been one last show of glory ends up a sour note at the end of his football career. 14 years later, Reno (Kurt Russell) is a “van specialist” in Taft, fixing cars and creating elaborate paint jobs for vans. He’s comfortable in Taft, but his wife wants more. Gigi (Pamela Reed) keeps trying to leave him for Los Angeles, but can never make it out of town due to her car breaking down; Reno never fixes it because he still loves her and doesn’t want her to leave.

Jack feels like ever since he dropped the ball, he’s been a loser, and that if he had just caught the ball his whole life would have been better. Finally, Darla (Margaret Whitton), a “masseuse” that he pays to act as a psychological therapist instead of her usual duties, suggests he just play the game over. It’s a silly idea, and Jack says so, but when she asks why not, he can’t think of an answer.  The remaining two thirds of the film consists of Jack trying to convince everybody else to go along with the idea, and what happens when they finally do.

I said it’s not a movie about the big game, and it really isn’t. It’s about Jack and Reno and their growth as a result of getting the big game back together again. It’s a light character comedy, with Williams and Russell playing off each other and everybody else; it’s not going to generate any major laughs, but it’s pretty entertaining throughout. Russell is particularly good as the ex-quarterback who is content with leaving his glory days in the past, and who just wants to comfortably idle his way through life. Williams is more restrained than he usually is as the depressed Jack, but he still gets up to some of his usual antics as he manipulates the whole town into getting excited over the idea of the game.