Henry Steele, a naive high school basketball star from a small town in Colorado, wins a college scholarship to Western University in Los Angeles. Talented but with a tendency to show off, Henry must overcome the pressures of bullying from his team members and a confrontation with a mean-spirited coach. On the academic side, Henry must deal with his lack of reading skills. The freshman is assigned a senior as tutor to help him through the semester, the beautiful Janet Hays. In the meantime, Henry fends off the amorous advances of B.J. Rudolph, a woman who works in the university's athletic department. Henry's lack of success on the court results in his coach requesting that he renounce the four-year scholarship the school has given him. Henry refuses, whereupon the coach not only benches Henry but subjects him to unfair treatment and discipline in practice designed to make the player quit. Janet continues to help Henry with his class work and they develop a romantic relationship. With the team's undefeated record in jeopardy, a teammate's injury results in Henry being sent into a game by the coach, instructed not to shoot the ball. Defying orders, Henry leads the team's comeback, makes the game-winning shot and is carried off the court on other players' shoulders. Back in the coach's good graces, he is assured his future at the school is no longer at risk, but Henry bluntly informs the coach exactly what he can do with his scholarship, as he "can play anywhere."
The film's director, Lamont Johnson, appears briefly as an alumni sponsor, part of a sub-plot regarding a win-at-all-costs corruption in the school's athletic programs.
Production
The film was shot in 1975, primarily at Highland High school in Ault, Colorado and at various locations on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins. The working title was Catch a Falling Star. Despite preview audiences and many critics comparing the film to Rocky, that movie had not yet been released when One on One was being shot. Many scenes filmed in Eugene, Oregon at MacArthur Court, not mentioned in ending credits.
Reception
The film has an 86% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that it was "funny and touching and makes you feel good." Vincent Canby of The New York Times stated that despite how predictable the film was, "predictability has the effect of enriching our interest as we wait to see not what will happen but how it's brought about. A lot of the success of the 'how' in 'One on One' has to do with the performance by writer-actor Benson, whose clean-cut naïveté masks a surprising moral strength, which, even if it's not very common, is something we'd all like to believe in." Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times declared that "the customers who liked 'Rocky' will find a whole lot to like in the film... It is brisk, pointed, very funny and greatly engaging." Joseph McBride of Variety called it "a trite and disappointing little film" that "follows the 'Rocky' formula about the underdog-turned-hero but fails to ignite the emotions." Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three stars out of four and praised "good performances in a well-directed script. We end up caring about Henry while the film tells us a lot about college sports." Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called the film "a wobbly attempt at junior division 'Rocky,'" with "fitfully appealing interludes" but "Whenever the mood shifts toward True Romance or pathos, the movie begins to disintegrate." Clyde Jeavons of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that the screenwriters "take the easy way out, opting for the old Hollywood winning-through-against-all-odds formula which makes their sporting hero's final rejection of his mentor-cum-tormentor both irrelevant and gratuitous and not in the least the 'surprise' ending that was intended."
Soundtrack
The music was written by Charles Fox, with lyrics by Paul Williams. Seals and Crofts provided the vocals. The track "My Fair Share" reached #28 on the BillboardHot 100 on 19 November 1977, and was #182 in the Canadian Top 200 of 1977.
