'You don't treat me like your punk, ok?'
Call me a masochist, but I love 1989's "Best of the Best." I'll watch it every time it's on cable -- which seems like every Friday night about 2:30 a.m.
What's great about it? Surely not the disturbingly simple plot. Or the odd casting of James Earl Jones as a Tae Kwon Do coach for the U.S. national team. Not even the ballooning figure of the late Christopher Penn as cowboy hat-wearing board-crusher.
It's Eric Roberts. It was the last great role for an actor who has managed to snatch B-movie status from mouth of a once-promising film career.
Roberts turns 52 years old today. How will he celebrate? Depends on what dinner theater he's performing in tonight. Here's a birthday list for you, Eric.
TOP 5 ROLES OF ERIC ROBERTS IN THE 80s:
5. BEST OF THE BEST (1989): "Pop it, Pop it Tommy, POP IT!"
4. THE COCA-COLA KID (1985): "Is that the Australian sound? I mean, do we have the Australian sound here?"
3. RUNAWAY TRAIN (1985): "Hey Manny, You don't treat me like your punk, ok?"
2. STAR 80 (1983): "Well, you can take your magazine, you mansion and your movies and shove'em ALL up your a-- now."
1. THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE (1984): "Horses ain't like people, man, they can't make themselves better than they're born."
[AP photo]
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
THIS WEEK'S SHOW: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers rock Tampa Bay. To hear the latest "Stuck in the 80s" episode now, 
While he has so many great lines in TPOGV, my favorite will always be,
"They took my thumb, Charlie! They took my thumb!"
http://theytookmythumb.ytmnd.com/
Posted by: Tonianne | April 18, 2008 at 05:29 PM
HA! Tonianne beat me to the most memorable line for me. I LOVE "Pope ..." it's been a long time since I watched it. Looks like it's time for a replay.
Posted by: Marissa | April 18, 2008 at 05:53 PM
Not from the '80s, but... my fave Eric Roberts role was on the short lived but fun sitcom Less Than Perfect.
His daughter Emma (who greatly resembles her aunt Julia) is not doing too badly in the acting world either.
Posted by: jane | April 18, 2008 at 06:12 PM
I remember watching Runaway Train and thinking, "This is the worst over acting i have ever seen." And I think the critics liked that movie.
Posted by: Bassnote | April 19, 2008 at 09:26 AM
Roberts was on the first season of Heroes, but his character was killed in the last episode.
Posted by: Bassnote | April 19, 2008 at 09:28 AM
Our family loves Runaway Train. I think it's a fantastic movie!
Posted by: Spiky Sandy | April 19, 2008 at 08:44 PM
Another great line from Coca Cola Kid: "Is that kid wearing a ****ing Pepsi shirt?"
Posted by: GlennS. | April 21, 2008 at 08:33 AM
Not to disagree but a couple of the movies on your list are just awful. If that is what you were going for, considering it is E Roberts, it is understandable.
However, the best movie of Roberts' early career was easily 1981's Raggedy Man.
Posted by: DoctorDrew | April 21, 2008 at 02:56 PM
The best line in BOTB was clearly James Earl Jones' simple, yet commanding "No!" when Phillip Rhee was about to kill his opponent in revenge for him having killed his brother years ago. It had the same tone you would use with a dog who was headed for the slice of pizza you left on the coffe table.
Posted by: Paul | April 22, 2008 at 02:38 PM