Over the Top

I grew up on this movie. This is the first movie I ever recall watching. My grandpa has his own Tractor-Trailer and I always went with him on road trips, so I instantly fell in love with this movie when I saw the truck. Even though it's an old, beaten up, disgusting truck, I would have to say it looks pretty sweet. Lincoln Hawk, played by Sylvester Stallone, is a independent trucker just trying to put his life back together. He realized he made mistakes, and tries to reconcile with his son that he abandoned years earlier. When the boy's grandfather offers Hawk the offer of a life time, and Hawk refuses....it's very clear to him, that he has no other choice but to win, and the determination really shows. Sly acts a bit uninterested in this movie...you can see it in his eyes. Every now and then you can catch his wandering off and not paying attention. If you watch closely, some of the extras often keep there eyes on the camera, and Sly will look at them. Pretty good movie, could have been better, but it's a for sure movie to watch.

Over the Top is pure Sylvester Stallone: the blue collar man with the heart of gold fighting his way through a world that dismisses him as a loser but he wins at the end with the help of someone who really understands and loves him. Same as the Rocky series, same as the Rambo series.

But I can't help it, I really like Sly. He certainly is no Shakespeare actor but there is that deep honesty he represents in all his flicks and it works. When he first walks into that military school building to fetch his son after cleaning his truck and trying to make himself look his "Sunday best" - I can't help it: it is just great.

Yes it is strange to see a well educated kid (by a military school) being transformed into a "regular guy" by his own father. But in this film that is only a metaphor. The real meaning is: it's the heart that counts, not the social position. Now that's a message which can't be dismissed as junk that easily.

I love the portraits and short interviews of the arm wrestling contestants. Brilliant.

Probably the best scene is when the (always wonderful) Robert Loggia finally accepts the fact that his grandson loves his dad. The "villain" hasn't been beaten. No even better: he has been convinced and transformed.

Over the Top works on two levels: as popcorn entertainment: "Blue collar hero beats the odds" and as good old fashioned, almost Frank Capra- like cinema: "good will always win in the end".

Bottom line: as with many a Sly flick (any film Sylvester Stallone agrees to participate in or where he actually did the writing, directing etc.)we have to work our way through a popcorn flick to find a deeper meaning. And I say it is there in Over the Top hitting it dead center.

So I'm a Sylvester Stallone fan. Now call me names, I can take it.

Are you kidding me? Sylvester Stallone in an arm-wrestling movie? Does it get any better than that? If your balls have not turned into steel after seeing this movie, you're either a woman or... that is the only explanation. Acting? Plot? Cinematography? Who cares? Enjoy 90 minutes of pure testosterone and corniness. "Over the top" is without a doubt the most fitting movie title ever. If you enjoy either movies from the 80s, anything that's over the top or just Sylvester Stallone's weird acting and awkward yet somehow touching speeches, than you're gonna have a great time watching this movie. However, if you're not a fan of said things, than you should probably stay away from this masterpiece.

Nice is the word. Over the Top is a good example of Sylvester Stallone stepping away from the trappings of Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, and trying to create a movie the whole family can enjoy. Sure, the whole family may have enjoyed the Rocky movies but the violence of those films at best is toned down to mute here. Unlike the Rocky series with Boxing, Over The Top doesn't square its attention solely on this movies sport, Arm wrestling. So, there is plenty of room for deep rooted character developement. Unfortunately, Over The Top doesn't present us with this, and what we have is a Cannon Pictures knock off version of The Champ (1979), with Stallone and Sterling Silliphant's screenplay spreading on the sentimentality very thickly. We are presented with a screenplay remeniscent of the sentimental moments from the bulk of Slys career. And for the majority of the time it works remarkably well. Sly proves that he can act, making Lincoln Hawk (a typically mach named Stallone character), a likeable, funny and sincere character, so that you dont for one minute doubt the values of Hawk and the good man he is. The hard work Stallone puts into Hawk is completely obliterated by a terrible cliched performance by David Mendenhall as Hawks long lost son Mike. A typical spoilt bratt, you wish Sly would beat the life out of Mendenhall ala Rocky VS Drago in the closing moments of Rocky IV, at one or two times during the movie. Mendenhall has NO redeaming features and compliments the movie zero. It would have perhaps been better had someone like Sean Astin or Macauly Culkin played the part of Hawk's son. The sentimentality comes in the form of Susan Blakely as Hawk's estranged and dying wife, and this once again is a burden to the movie, because the scenes, handled with too much syrup by director Menahem Golan go too far over the top (no pun) to try and reach your tear ducts. Despite this everything pays off. The Arm wrestling scenes are handled efficiently by Golan, and come close to the heart pumping heroics of the Rocky movies, and Georgio Moroders 80's Rock score is as good (and dated) as anything Vince Di Cola and Survivor did for Messers Balboa and Drago. And i would defy even the most ardent of cynics not to root for Hawk in the movies macho encrusted arm wrestling finale. An efficient fammily/adventure movie, that is good to pass the time with, but for sheer class, watch the Rocky movies.

6/10

This film is all about the thrill of seeing Stallone reveal his more 'sensitive' side. Not to mention the great scenes where he works out the rippling biceps of his 'wrestling arm' using an ingenious hand-weight pulley system in the cab of his truck. Sure it's cheesy, but this film does what any good 80s movie should. The part where he turns his cap backwards before a wrestling match is a highlight, symbolising some kind of metamorphosis from sensitive dad to macho man. What a great flick!