One on One (1977) User Reviews

Great Robbie Benson vehicle

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 7/10 · 14 August 2011]

What was there about Robbie Benson? To a lot of fans back then, I guess it was mostly that he was cute. But I always thought he was a very good actor...good in that he seemed "real". This is hardly my favorite Benson movie (I much prefer "Tribute" with Jack Lemmon). But here, Benson is perfect because he seems to be just what the main character is -- a clean cut and remarkably naive small town boy who goes to a powerhouse university on a basketball scholarship. What an eye-opener it is for the boy...and for the viewer as he/she begins to learn how college athletics worked.

When I watched this film again after all these years, I was sad...sad that Benson didn't remain in front of the camera, instead of going behind the camera. There was a lot of potential there, and I think he could have maintained an impressive presence in film.

In the film, Benson's character screws up at the university because in his small town high school he was the star basketball player -- and a bit of a hot dog -- and at university he is just a freshman who is extremely immature. Eventually his hard-nosed coach wants him to resign his scholarship...which he refuses to do. The film works for Benson, but the outstanding performance was by G.D. Spradlin, the sadistic coach who, to a large extent, has mismanaged Benson but in some ways is right about Benson not fitting in with the team. I usually don't like him as an actor, but here he is excellent. The scenes where Benson and the coach have it out are very strong.

The problem with this film is a rather predictable ending. I guess that's the only way it could end. And the ultimate end -- when Benson tells off the coach, well, that is rather weak, seemingly because Benson didn't want to say a bad word. Ah well, otherwise, it was a very good movie.

It was difficult watching this film on TCM because the sound was not synced perfectly with the visuals. Not sure what happened at TCM. They're usually so perfect.

I'm not much on sports movies, but this is a good one!

A forgotten sports Gem

[imbluzclooby · 7/10 · 18 December 2005]

What can I remember about "One on One". I was like 10 years old. I think I saw it as a double-feature with another sports movie called "Take Down". That is when double-features existed and they usually had movies with similar themes. Anyhow, One on One is a pretty cool movie for anybody, let alone those who love basketball. I remember Robby Benson going to college and he is literally dwarfed by some of the other players. The center was 7'4", his new friend was like 6'6" and little Robby is only 5'11". But he still can dazzle us with his ball handling and great outside shots. He falls in love with a nice Freshman and the relationship is very sweet and tame. I think they may have kissed twice, one being just a simple short kiss. This is your typical underdog story told in a sport's theme while giving the audience the allure of young adults learning about life and love. The closing song and montage is also nice and reminiscent of the 70's.

Classic that is far from perfect

[rams_lakers · 7/10 · 12 July 2004]

Perfect? No. Rewatchable? Yes. I liked the movie when it came out and I can still watch it. Sure, Steele makes some bonehead mistakes and reacts to things awkwardly like a young inexperienced noob. I felt like this when I first joined the football team, some of those players were men! Yeah, I got head butted by a samoan during non-contact practice but I learned from that and dodged him the next time he came around but my inexperienced noob friend Gary wasn't as lucky as he got jacked off the ground by the same guy. Yeah, I blew it on a few girls when I didn't know what to do with them in my younger days. These are all why I feel this movie is real to me. Of course, the coach bloodying Steele's face is overdone but I remember my first coach calling me by the wrong name and showing a little disrespect. Steele's roommate reminds me of my friend George Devaney, who helped me while I was trying to make the team (No he didn't give me drugs). He ended up starting while I quit (but I ended up starting both ways the next year elsewhere). This movie hits close to home for me. And didn't we all just hate that snooty hippie and enjoy it as Steele finally stood up to him. Some of the lines in this movie are corny but that's how the 70s were. "Justice" by Seales and Croft adds some nice emotion to the film. BTW, in Spike Lee's opinion this is the worst sport movie ever. Spike who? I've seen much worse.

A great "underdog" movie.

[danyellbell · 12 March 2004]

*******Possible Spoilers********

Who is the bad guy? The bad guy is the guy who tries to force Steele to renounce his scholarship through force,intimidation,financial, and physical harm. The bad guy is the guy who gets another player to bust Steele's nose, cut bloody Steele's face. Not one of the best movies. But one I've always liked. I just like the way that Henry didn't quit through all that adversity. Through the students telling him he wasn't smart enough and the jocks/coaches telling him he wasn't athletic enough. Henry takes all the punishment the coach throws at him and works to make himself better and stronger. The actor playing Steele pulls off the look of a young naive basketball player perfectly. Sure Henry wasn't perfect...taking a car to come there and trusting his roommate and taking that stuff to "pep him up" and then "hotdogging" after taking that stuff. But that just adds even more to his naivety. It's a really good movie if you don't take it too serious. A good underdog movie.

Tons Of Clichés, But Entertaining

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 31 January 2008]

......Young, naive kid comes from the sticks to make it in the world of big-college basketball, encounters a Bobby Knight-type tyrannical coach, gets his ego stroked however by a caring teacher (tutor) and that carries him through to where one day, when the starting guard goes down with an injury, he gets his chance and turns into Magic Johnson/Larry Bird....and then tells the coach where to stick it......

As writer Dave Barry used to say, "I am not making this up."

Here is another example of movie I re-watched on tape in the mid 1990s and wondered, "How could I have liked this film so much when it came out?" That was then, and now is now. Yes, one tends to be far less discerning when one is younger, but some movies also get dated in a hurry. This is one of them. Actually, actor Robby Benson is another. He was a hot commodity in the '70s but faded fast.

However, despite having said all of the above, this movie IS fun to watch.

Good acting (and ballplaying) by Benson as college student-athlete "Henry Steele" and G.D. Spradlin as hard-nosed basketball coach "Moreland Smith" set up some intense confrontations in this sports movie, another gritty one from the era.

Benson also was a hot actor in this decade, and he's convincing in this role. He usually played interesting characters, as did Spradlin, who was always effective as a villain. By the way, don't buy the Hollywood cliché that every sports coach is tyrannical maniac. In college basketball, ask the players at UCLA who played under John Wooden, or the cagers at Duke under "Coach K," or hundreds of other places. Most coaches are NOT Bobby Knight, as portrayed here. This character is over-the-top, big-time.

Anyway, this film is so engulfed with movie clichés like the above that you could easily drown in them. Everything is so predictable, such a cliché that it is embarrassing to watch this at times, although it is entertaining and must be given points for that. You know things will work out for "Henry Steele." It's how they do that get a bit irritating, and Henry's attitude isn't always admirable, either. Boy, do they manipulate you, however, in this film! You HAVE to root for the kid, even if he is a hot dog on the court.

Overall: this film will keep you involved, but don't believe anything in this story.

Good Love Story almost brought down by some heavy handed manipulations

[clydestuff · 6/10 · 12 March 2004]

One on One is the kind of film that infuriates me every time I see it. There is much of it that is very good and highly watchable. Unfortunately, there's also a good portion of it lousy enough that it makes a certain aspect of this film darn near intolerable.

The premise of the story is intriguing enough. Small town and small of stature basketball player Henry Steele (Robby Benson) has spent most of his life doing nothing but practicing and playing basketball (sort of a white Michael Jordan with hair). He is recruited by Coach Moreland Smith (G.D. Spradlin) to play basketball for Western University (think UCLA) and Henry accepts. Since Henry is from a small rural school he is totally unprepared for what awaits him in college. The players are much bigger of course, the practices are ten times tougher and he has no clue even as to what his classes will be. Some of the best scenes in One on One are watching Henry overcoming his naiveness as he learns what being a college jock is about. In order to make sure that he keeps his grades up he is also sent to be tutored by Janet Hays (Annette O'Toole). Unfortunately for Henry, Janet also hates jocks, a fact that Henry quickly finds out on his first day of tutoring. Henry may be a naive jock, but he is not dumb and uses Janet's degrading put downs of a jock's ability to learn as incentive to prove her wrong. However, the more he studies, the more Henry has trouble coping with playing college basketball and it isn't long before Coach Smith asks him to renounce his scholarship.

OK, first I'll give you the good: Robby Benson gives a solid performance as the naive country-bumpkin basketball superstar. I don't have a clue as to how much basketball he actually played in his life but in this film he certainly looks as if he could step right out onto a basketball court and begin wowing the folks. Although he does take some favors such as a car for going to the university, Benson is able to convince us that he is simply too callow to understand the ramifications of receiving cars, trading tickets to alumni for cash, and working a job that requires no work.. That's why we are able to root for Henry.

Then there's the love story that develops between Henry and Janet. As Henry works to gains Janet's respect, we see her attitude change from one of disdain, to caring about Henry and eventually love. The fact that we can believe in the love story is due in no small measure to Annette O'Toole's Janet. She gives her character enough depth that we are able to see that Janet is not above learning a few things about people and how not to judge everyone as a group. When her boyfriend is ridiculing Henry, we almost sense the shame she feels from having done the same thing earlier in the film. It is this love story that is perhaps the best thing about One on One and darn it, if they had just made the movie more about that they would have been on safe ground.

Of course I could stop here with the review and spare you the pain of the bad but why should I suffer alone? Any film worth its salt will try and manipulate its audience in some fashion another. The really good ones do it in a either a subtle way that we don't know how much we are being manipulated, or do it in a manner in which we may realize we are being manipulated but we don't care. Then there are films like One on One that are so heavy-handed in its attempt to manipulate our emotions, that it ends up turning us off by doing the blatantly obvious.

If ever there was the epitome of a wicked evil college coach, it's Spradlin's Coach Smith. It doesn't take us too long to realize his character is way over the top. It's as if writers Benson and Segal made him a composite caricature of the absolute worst coaches to grace a basketball court and his basketball program is equally despicable. Coach Smith would make Bobby Knight appear saintly by comparison. For instance, after having personally recruited Henry and signing him, Smith doesn't even remember who he is when he shows up at his office. Players are given good paying jobs for doing nothing. College classes are re-routed so players can go to practice instead of taking exams. Players are given oodles of money by alumni. I have no doubt that some of these things go on in some college sports program, but if they did it as obvious and as much as Smith does, they would be on NCAA probation for decades. Later when Henry doesn't appear to be making the grade, Spradlin resorts to physical torture to try and get Henry to renounce his scholarship, and does it in front of the other players. From what we are told this isn't the first time that has happened but One on One would have us believe it's a common occurrence for Coach Smith. Would a coach who sanctions so much rule breaking actually insist on a player renouncing his scholarship and take the chance that a recruit would head right to the NCAA and have a true confession? All of these shenanigans are from a coach who expects to have an undefeated season. I don't blame Spradlin as his portrayal of Smith is what the script and character requires him to do. If Benson and Segal had toned this aspect down quite a bit, it would have made for a much better film simply because it might have been more believable. Instead they just about kill it by making Smith appear to be Satan in a jacket and tie.

My advice is to watch as Henry learns his way around college, watch the scenes between O'Toole and Benson, and concentrate on the growing love story between them and some of the other humorous scenes that deal with Henry's naiveté and growth as a person. As for the rest of the story, that's when you get up and make yourself a sandwich.

My grade: C+

attempt at darker college sports movie

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 27 April 2018]

Naive Henry Steele (Robby Benson) is a basketball star player at his small Colorado high school. He gets a 4 year basketball scholarship at Western University in L.A. Janet Hays (Annette O'Toole) is hired as his tutor. He gets a job without any actual work. The alumni pays big bucks for his complimentary tickets. However, he doesn't fit the coach's style and everybody is much better than the players at home. The coach is furious with sinking $150k on the kid and asks him to surrender his scholarship but he refuses.

First thing, a young Melanie Griffith has a small interesting role early in the movie. Robby Benson has enough charisma to lead but the biggest drawback is that he looks like a boy among men. I fear for his basketball skills. With passable moves and some movie magic, he plays almost believable college ball. The plot touches upon many of the darker aspects of college sports although it's not too deep. The ending has an abrupt turn which doesn't really fit. There are some good attempts at tackling college sports but it doesn't have the real edginess.

High school star basketball player is in over his head in the university big leagues, both academically and athletically

[laurieansberry · 7/10 · 12 December 2006]

I saw this movie the year it came out, and loved it. It was a great "underdog prevails" story, but the romance was what gave it its warmth and charm. It was sort of in the same style as "Vision Quest", which came nearly a decade later. The soundtrack was wonderful too.

However, I re-rented it in 2006, and it was so dated...it was really corny and funny. It's true that it was a timely topic in the late 70's when athletes were offered ridiculously extravagant packages to entice them to play for certain colleges. Now, not so much...

Still, even after all these years, corny or not, it is a charming movie.

Fine film - because of some aspects, in spite of others

[caa821 · 9/10 · 12 August 2006]

G. D. Spradlin is a splendid actor. Between his role as the coach here, and in the same role in the great football flick, "North Dallas Forty" - he has undoubtedly won, hands-down, the prize for the best portrayal of the quintessential "total horse's-ass coach." As others have pointed-out, it is illogical that he would recruit Henry (Robby Benson) as heavily as he did, then not know who he was when he reports on campus. Also, he knew Henry was a small-school, small-in-stature, fast-break player, whose talents were speed, ball handling and shooting - and yet, he is non-plussed when this doesn't seem to fit with his slower, ball control, "big-team" offensive philosophy.

The gratuities furnished Henry (automobile, do-nothing job, alum booster buying his game tickets for exorbitant amount) are beyond the scope even the most "liberal" programs would furnish - at least in terms of their obviousness, with little intent to provide some sense of legitimacy to them. And the coach's decision regarding Henry's scholarship, and his measures to try to drive him off the team, are over-the-top, even for the heavy-handed character portrayed (and even bearing in mind that big-time college athletic programs are not as altruistic as the schools like to portray).

But these contrivances are also what make the movie more interesting, and sometimes characterizations which are exaggerated help as much as they hinder the plot - and they do so here. I remember seeing Burt Reynolds with Johnny Carson on a show, discussing a movie in which Benson had appeared with him. He laughed about winning bets from others when Benson was able to do 100 sit-ups in about a minute. With some of the performances in sports movies, where the principals can be made to look like they can perform only by using trick photography or stunt doubles - it is a pleasure to watch Benson, who obviously is physically capable, and knows how to handle, pass and shoot a basketball. Annette O'Toole is engaging in the female lead, and together they make an attractive, appealing young couple.

No Zone Defense Here

[redryan64 · 6/10 · 12 January 2016]

BEING SORT OF yet another entry into the underdog vs. the rest of the known world genre, we review and respectively submit for your approval, our recollections and perspective on this Robby Benson vehicle. . And proud it should be as this ONE ON ONE joins in lock step with such entries as the recent THE BLIND SIDE, ROCKY (and his friends: II, III, IV, V, BALBOA & now CREED) and HOOSIERS.

ALTHOUGH WE HAVE dared to classify this perhaps forgotten little family picture from 1977, it does have some inherent elements that fly in the face of any attempt at pigeon holing it. In addition to the obligatory struggle that indeed is at the center of any drama like this, ONE ON ONE dares to break away on its own, pursuing a definite different route in its path to a successful conclusion.

MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE film introduces an additional obstacle to the chagrin of protagonist, Henry Steele (Robby Benson). The iron fisted and authoritarian rule by Head Basketball Coach Moreland Smith (G.D. Spradlin).* The Coach takes as a personal affront the young Steele's open display of being a free spirit. The Coach pulls the rug out from beneath him; voiding his athletic scholarship.

IT IS AT this juncture that the young student athlete's future becomes most dependent on his student tutor, Janet Hayes (Annette O'Toole). Whereas the slightly older co-ed had been less than sympathetic to his plight, her attitude quickly shifts as her prepping him for his various courses continues after her stipend is also spiked by the coach. In spite of earlier hostilities, the two become L-O-V-E-R-S!

THE STORY REACHES a climax, a crescendo and a conclusion (all three)when young Steele, who managed to not only remain on the Varsity hoops squad, but also manages to win the big game. Rather than offering any apology with his congratulations, the coach offers to reinstate his tuition free ride. To this, young Steele replies by referencing the coach. Quoting a previous tirade of Coach Smith's of: "Up your ass with a red hot poker.

THE TWO YOUNG lovers are the shown going off somewhere, embracing and enthusiastically swapping spits. (Shocked, Schultz?)

THE END

NOTE * Veteran character actor was well cast in the role of Coach Moreland Smith, which was very similar to his characterization of head Coach B.A. Strothers in NORTH DALLAS FORTY (1979). As a matter of fact, Mr. Spradlin most usually played unsympathetic, snake in the grass types. Remember him as Senator Geary in THE GODFATHER: PART II? The only "good guys" in his resume that we recall are those appearances as a LAPD Police Captain on the DRAGNET TV Series in the late 1960's o mid '70's!

i'm in it!

[bloobarooo · 5/10 · 28 January 2012]

during the game in which "Western" is blowing out the visitors, the camera pans the crowd, who look bored. I was picked to be one of the "early leavers" and I think it's because I coincidentally (I didn't know what the mythical U would be called) was wearing my WESTERN track shirt.

Also amusing, is that the crowd shots for the games were shot at CSU (Ft. Collins, Colorado) basketball auditorium in the winter. Since we were supposed to be in sunny southern California, we had to HIDE all our winter clothing -- hats, scarves, gloves, parkas. Quite a feat to get all the thousands in attendance to hide all that stuff.

One of my favorite underdog movies

[JGDragov · 9/10 · 26 September 2014]

If it wasn't for "Hoosiers", I would have to say that "One on One" would be my favorite basketball movie of all time. In fairness, I am partial to movies where the actor playing an athlete can actually perform as one. You would be hard pressed to find a real actor(I'm not talking about the cast of "Space Jam") who displayed as much basketball skill as Robby Benson does in this movie. The dude can flat out play.

I am not giving a backhanded compliment when I say that G.D. Spradlin does an outstanding job of portraying an a$$hole coach. He gives virtually the same performance as he did in "North Dallas Forty". His attempts to crush Henry seem harsh but believable given the power and ego that some of these big time coaches possess. Annette O'Toole does a good job although watching the movie again with my son, I forgot how much of a love story this film is as well.

Realistic basketball play and a true underdog theme make this movie a good one for me. Certainly a little dated but hardly irrelevant, I would say watch this movie with your young athlete. It is finally available on DVD and worth the $12 I paid for it.

Good acting helps overcome unrealistic plot

[kenstallings-65346 · 6/10 · 24 November 2019]

Even for the wild west show of college basketball during the early 1970's, the basic plot lines of this movie are over-the-top. The NCAA would come down heavy on any program that organized methods for players to sell their complimentary tickets, or for an athletic department to arrange jobs for the players. Actual college players could have only dreamed of such cushy arraignments. Add in a "free" car arraigned for a recruit's father to gift a player, and the illogical setup was so obvious. No coach would have dared try it.

The idea that a coach would ask a player to renounce his scholarship did happen, but the manner in which it is set up here just doesn't square. In this case, a player is asked to do so not even halfway into his freshman season. For one thing, the school doesn't automatically gain a scholarship for that season, and so that sort of "request" is reserved for after the season is over. Renouncing a scholarship during the season doesn't save any money, and just leaves the bench thin. It's self-destructive to the team.

Worse, the coach is then portrayed as a tyrant when the player doesn't agree, encouraging players to bully him in submission, a situation that would destroy a team's chemistry. Efforts to fully reveal the coach as an evil influence are completed with multiple examples of racism.

Nevertheless, the actors all turn in strong performances that tend to overcome these obvious plot holes, and so on the level of teen movies, this one is better than average. Still, with a more plausible script, the drama could still have been reached, and with the acting delivered, this could have been so much better.

Average 70s sports flick with a couple of unlikeable characters

[Justin C · 3/10 · 6 March 2012]

"One on One" is an average 70s sports flick with a couple of unlikeable characters that spoiled the film for me. While Henry is certainly likable in his quest to overcome academic and athletic adversity at college, I found nothing redeeming in the Janet (his tutor) and Malcolm (Janet's boyfriend) characters.

What makes Janet & Malcolm unlikeable? Janet is intellectually arrogant, condescending, and insulting toward Henry, and thinks herself way more intelligent than she really is. But her boyfriend Malcolm was twice as arrogantly "intellectual" and insulting than her toward Henry. They act like they think they're Ivy League students (or even more intelligent than Ivy League students), yet they're at a low-ranked college in the West. What a laugh. What gave them the right to treat anyone the way they treated Henry? The worst was the scene where they team up to insult Henry's intelligence. I felt sorry for Henry because of the treatment he had to endure from Janet & Malcolm.

Or was it common for "above average intelligence but nothing special" college kids in the 70s to act as arrogant, insulting and condescending as Janet & Malcolm did in this movie? Yeah, Malcolm's a professor, but my point stands. I'm wondering why they were written in the script to be as insulting and condescending as they were.

Other than those 2 characters, the film was a decent way to spend a couple hours on an afternoon, and it's a somewhat interesting view into 1970s college athletics.

At heart it's a `little guy come good story' but it has more than you'd expect

[bob the moo · 15 June 2002]

Henry Steele grows up playing basketball in small town USA, doing well at his high school he is soon signed by a college. There he enjoys easy money and special treatment in many ways. However when he begins to fall for Janet, who is teaching him extra classes, he loses his focus on the basketball. This causes his coach to regret his pick and ask Henry to resign his scholarship. When Henry refuses it begins a war of attrition between the two.

At heart this is a tale of a little guy who overcomes obstacles in his attempt to do well in life and in sport. When I taped it all I knew was that it was a basketball movie, so I thought I'd give it a try. At the start I thought it was going to be all innocent as opposed to sports movies now that focus on the real side of it as well as the game (Any Given Sunday, Blue Chips etc), however this had layers of brutality, drugs, money being `given' to students etc. The story at core is one of Henry battling against his coach and it is quite good, but the added layers add more too.

It may never be excellent but it is better than expected and was quite enjoyable (even if the basketball is played at a bit slower pace than now!). Benson is a bit too innocent and whiney at times as Steele but once you get used to him it's ok – he also co-wrote, not bad for a 21 year old! O'Toole is OK but isn't really anything other than a device for moving the plot on. Spradlin is good – but for the first 20 minutes I could hear his voice giving better lines in a better film – it bugged me until I placed him in Apocalypse Now. An almost unrecognisably young Melanie Griffith makes a brief appearance – but overall the cast is good enough to keep this just above the level of a TVM.

Overall it may seem a little naive compared to modern college sports films but it's actually quite enjoyable, even if it won't change your life!

Despite Everything this One is Still Watchable

[daoldiges · 7/10 · 1 February 2024]

I can very clearly remember watching One on One in the movie theater as a young high school athlete and just loving it. Robbie Benson was such a nice, and likeable guy who tried so hard to play great ball and still be a good and kind person. I was really blown away on that first viewing. Having recently revisited the film I can still manage to see and understand why someone like me, at that stage of my life was so impacted by this film, but at the same time and with some age and wisdom I can now see the many cliches, flaws, and predictability of it all. One thing still works though and it's Robbie Benson and the fact that his performance still holds up. Sure, One on One has its shaw of flaws but its still watchable sports film after all these years.

I have enjoyed everything I've seen by Robbie Benson.

[andygone-abdl · 10/10 · 27 December 2005]

This was the first Robbie Benson I ever saw. Once I did see it, I have always been alert for other things which involved his talents.

This movie was especially meaningful to me because I took a much younger friend to view it with me. After seeing the movie I bought the fabulous movie soundtrack album by Seals and Crofts, and those songs were played over and over by this young friend and I until every word and note could be sung-along with the artists. I think this experience was an inspirational time for both myself and my young friend, who could identify in many ways with Benson's character.

Decades later I find that few fans of Seals and Crofts even know they recorded such a soundtrack, much less having any familiarity with the movie One On One. However, I have always since sought-out other features and appearances by Robbie Benson, and have become a life-long fan of this talented, if somewhat obscure, actor. I will continue to seek-out his productions and performances wherever Robbie Benson may show himself next. We are blessed by the gift of such a competent and gifted artist.

A 1970's period piece that may still retain some nostalgic value for some but has lost its message for todays college athletes

[Ed-Shullivan · 5/10 · 9 February 2023]

Remember Robby Benson and Annette O'Toole? Probably not on your A-Lister list of must see actors, but they were some fifty (50) years ago. Boy do I feel real old now. But I digress. I may be feeling old, but so does this 1977 basketball sports themed film feel really old and obsolete.

I laughed loudly when I saw the college team that included young Henry Steele (Robby Benson) out on the basketball court in their now Hooters style shorts (LOL) and unlike the physical make up of most college basketball teams of today which are a mix of African Americans this film may have been misrepresented by having only two mean spirited basketball coaches as the teams representatives.

It's a story of a young man from Kansas City assumed to be a farmer but who works hard to prove his worth on and off the court as a good player and a greater individual free thinker.

It was okay but I do believe it has lost its luster and meaning over the past forty six (46) years. I give it a ho hum 5 out of 10 IMDb rating.

Charming sports comedy

[the_old_roman · 9/10 · 27 August 2001]

Robby Benson and Annette O'Toole have good enough chemistry to make their unlikely pairing a crowd pleaser nonetheless. Benson is very good as the jock who is first coddled, then spurned, stirring the man within him. The movie has a great deal of fun with the special treatment given Jocks. Benson's work-study job is to turn the sprinklers on and off, but the sprinklers work automatically. Gail Strickland and (Director) Lamont Johnson are marvelous in small but hilarious supporting bits.

But the true star of the movie is G.D. Spradlin as the humorless and amoral hard-nosed basketball coach. Best exchange is when Benson says: "You're a great molder of character, coach" and Spradlin retorts, "You never asked me to mold your character." Spradlin is 100% true to his character as a John-Wooden-type of basketball coach. All in all, One on One shouldn't be taken too seriously but is quite enjoyable on its own terms.

Sports drama from the "Rocky" school, softened for pre-teens

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 28 July 2017]

Robby Benson co-wrote and stars in this simplistic basketball drama about a short but energetic high school basketball star who graduates to a university team on scholarship, immediately butting heads with the hard-ass coach when he appears not to be living up to his reputation. Of course there's also a spunky female graduate student assigned to the faltering phenom as a tutor (no growing pains portrait should be without one). Derivative sports drama with a soft-spoken hero who refuses to give up, leading to his participation in the Big Game (complete with his new sweetheart in the stands). G.D. Spradlin is over-the-top as the coach; his menacing quality and hayseed-sheriff persona are far heavier qualities than this flimsy script can support. Benson constantly wants to manage our responses to him: he's the naïve kid who is conned by a nubile hitchhiker, he's the quiet guy who's shy around girls, he's the budding rebel who tells the coach "I'm gonna beat you!" We're not allowed to perceive any of his angelic attributes for ourselves--it's spelled out in the writing. Young audiences at the time naturally responded to the climax (which is well-mounted by director Lamont Johnson), but the movie is a connect-the-dots job. ** from ****

Good Movie, Benson must be a natural athlete!

[driftrss2 · 10/10 · 11 March 2004]

The movie is dated, but I still enjoy it. I guess I remember watching it the first time. The whole coming of age thing, growing up, etc.

What has really impressed me is Robby Benson's development over the years. He must be a good athlete: basketball, hockey, running, all seem to come naturally to him. I don't see the telltale back shots of doubles.

I enjoyed his acting and would like to see more. The last I heard he was teaching at USC. No not that one! The first one! The real one! The University of South Carolina in Columbia.

I would like to see what he could do with a mature role now.

Engaging performance by Robby Benson

[dorabeth · 12 July 2004]

I came across this movie on TV by chance, and was compelled to keep watching purely due to Robbie Benson's performance. If you are in any way a fan of the young (or older) charming, adorable, and sexy Robby Benson, this movie is worth your time. A young, completely collagen, silicone, and botox free, Melanie Griffith also has a wonderful little part as a hitchhiker at the beginning of the film. The first ten minutes are worth watching just for her!! (And I don't even like Melanie Griffith.)

In the lead role as Henry Steele, Robby Benson is completely engaging and totally believable as a naive and talented basketball player having his eyes opened to the realities of life in the big city and the world of big-business college sports. He also clearly trained physically for the part, increasing both his watchability on the court (as an athlete) as well as his sex appeal. Annette O'Toole is charming as his tutor; it is not hard to see why she grows to care about him as he rises to her challenge to study hard in spite of "jock" stereotypes.

As for Henry's conflicts with his coach and his difficulties in practice, while this part of the storyline is undoubtedly heavy-handed, his character is all the more lovable for the trials he faces physically, emotionally, and morally, both on and off the court. In addition, the story of the smalltown sports star who finds himself "humbled" when up against other great players from across the country is always interesting, even if it is overdone in certain respects.

Although the storyline overall is entirely predictable, the performances hold up over time. I found myself wishing Robby Benson was still a young heartthrob--or at least putting his pretty face, as well as his other talents, in front of the camera more often.

Be forewarned, however; unlike the rest of the film, the '70s ballads used for the soundtrack do not stand the test of time. Also, the corny movie tagline does not do the film justice.

While ultimately unimportant to the overall plot, I did find it quite annoying that so little attention was paid to the fact that Henry Steele is supposed to be this great basketball star, yet he's at least a foot shorter than every other player. It is mentioned maybe twice in the entire film. If you won't be able to set this annoyance aside while you watch, ... better to save this film for someone else.

Note: I would like to thank the previous reviewer, whose spot-on comments helped me pay attention to (and even re-watch) the film's better scenes, while pointing my finger to the fast-forward button on my TiVo at some of the "less-than-stellar" movie moments.

One on One

[jessicacirillo · 1/10 · 5 April 2024]

We watched this movie the a few nights ago and was extremely disappointed. Henry steeles voice sounds like weak and unclear and girly. Not only that, but he takes drugs from a teammate and even takes more later. And all of that hard work, suspense and build up for him to make a lay up at the end of a game? Disappointed. I really wanted more from this movie based on how good other people said it was. I got to the end of the movie and was like "why did I just waste my time with that?" It was like having a needle in my eye while watching that film. Please do not waste your time and watch this movie.

A Much Enjoyed Film

[trekian · 10/10 · 21 January 2001]

I watched this when I was at Uni. I was going through a negative patch and found that this film gave me a great lift. It taught me that it is much more fun doing things together than on your own. It also taught me that you can succeed if you really have the desire.

The music was great and was added to my collection of soundtracks. It also turned me on to the talents of the leading lady.

A good feeling film.

Great Sports Movie

[davidjanuzbrown · 10/10 · 17 July 2016]

This is a great sports movie, and the beginning and the end both show kids playing basketball (the difference is seeing Henry (Robbie Benson) watching as opposed to actually playing at the end works). My favorite scene is with the Hitchhiker, because I am a huge Melanie Griffith fan (this is just one of 23 films I have seen of hers), so obviously seeing Melanie as the hitchhiker is a treat. The single biggest flaw is the Promo for the movie which is "There comes a time when love stops being a ball and becomes a woman." If you actually see the movie (Spoilers ahead). You see that he still loves basketball AND Janet (Annette O'Toole), and is able to have both. What the movie is about is really character growth. Henry has no idea how Big Time College's work (Athletically and especially Academically). Watch how he first meets Coach Moreland Smith G.D. Spradlin, who has no idea that he recruited him. Smith is a real piece of work, he basically uses his secretary as a prostitute for the team and when he wants Henry off the team, has another player beat him up, and tries to get him expelled from School. As bad as Smith is, the worst character is Malcolm (James G. Richardson), an arrogant teacher who is sleeping with his Graduate Student (Janet), and looking down on Henry because he plays basketball. The Henry/Janet relationship is complex, it goes from her looking down on him, to being a couple. There is about a 5 year difference between the two, but in my opinion, the reason it works, is because of not only the character growth in Henry, but Janet as well. She stops looking down on him, and learns that Henry works hard at everything, is not stupid, and he stands up for her, and treats her in a respectful way that no one else does. Obviously, we know in the end that Henry helps win the game, and is able to walk away from Smith, head held high (that is obvious right from the beginning). But for his future, watch the scene where he mocks talking to his father on the phone: He knows his dad will not approve of him being with an older woman, but it does not matter. Why? Because he made a choice (which is Janet), So wherever he goes in life (maybe even playing in the NBA one day), Janet will be with him side by side. 10/10 stars