"Personal Best" will alway be first and foremost a Lesbian Classic. It's the first movie thatI saw and can recall, that actually deal with the lesbian relationship between two women, here in the US. I know that there have been other movies overseas that came before but none have gone where "Best" has.
I have to admit, I was a bit spooked when I went to see it. I didn't know what to expect and wasn't sure of my own "identity." But I remember leaving and having more questions for myself than answers. And I knew these questions could only be answered my me, for me. So, what did I do? I went and saw the movie again. Granted, it's no "Dessert Hearts," but it was a beginning, an intro, if you will, to it.
I loved the relationship between the gals. It seemed real and showned that even lesbians didn't have smooth running relationships. It was nice to see and feel. I'm sorry too that the movie ended as it did with the breakup and the guy coming intot he picture. But if it wasn't real life, I'd say that's just hollywood. It always seemed that the girl would loose the girl to a guy or get killed off. So, I'm glad no one died, figuratively speaking, anyway.
It was a stepping stone for me and I'm glad I took that walk. I own the movie on dvd now and every once in a while, I'll go back and watch it and realize just how far I've come..how far we've all come in the world. It's pretty cool, you know.