Over the Top (1987)

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I have watched a lot of movies over the years, and I can easily say that this one is easily the cheesiest, sappiest, most "over-the-top" (pun very much intended) film I have ever made it all the way through.For a basic plot summary, "Over The Top" focuses on an uncultured trucker named Lincoln Hawk (Sylvester Stallone) trying to win custody of his stuck-up son Michael (David Mendenhall) from Michael's ruthless, and filthy rich grandfather (Robert Loggia). In order to show the means to support the young boy, Hawk risks everything on his arm-wrestling skills in trying to win the grand prize of the national competition.Yep, seriously, that is the plot of this movie. It is so cheesy that I almost wonder if it wasn't meant to be taken seriously in the first place. It is so sappy that adults with an emotional intellect above a fifth grade level will laugh at the contrived drama and soap opera-ish acting from all participants. In fact, this movie will actually be more enjoyed by action-oriented young children than any other demographic, as they will be completely sucked in by the one-dimensional and straightforward drama.Thus, while this may be a movie to watch with your young son, it really doesn't serve any other dramatic or entertainment purpose. Either watch it just to enjoy the cheese, or prepare to put your eyes on "perpetual roll".

Wow not sure what I was expecting from a movie centering around arm wresting, but I guess I got it. This gem is from 1987 and about all it has going for it is the B-grade 80's campiness that now make it fun to watch. I mean who doesn't want to cut all the sleeves off your t-shirts, slap on a pair of suspenders, oil up your arms and drive your big rig off into the sunset while listening to Frank Stallone and Kenny Logins on the 8-track and yelling "over the top" at the screen. Awesome stuff.This is one of those so bad its good movies that just gets better with age because it gets cheesier. Its along the lines of Rocky V -which was pretty terrible too- and is more of a father/son drama than the sweaty, sinew straining, pulse pounding action you'd probably expect from a movie about arm wresting.Sylvester Stallone is the awesomely named 'Lincoln Hawk' a truck driver trying to reconcile and gain custody of his estranged son after his ex-wife becomes deathly ill. Grandpa (Robert Loggia), is not having it though and his son is angry and disrespectful which makes for a (not so) fun road trip after Hawk busts him out of military school and takes him out truckin' in an attempt to bond.Ultimately it comes down to Sly oiling up and arm wrestling for the custody of his son at the Las Vegas world arm wrestling championships.This is heavy on the family drama and emotion and dare I say, takes too long to get to the arm wresting part which (come on) is why we're watching this. That part of this film isn't so bad, Sly knows how to do these kinds of action scenes and (I guess) there are some genuine techniques used -It looked good. I'm not embarrassed to admit by the end I was totally invested in him winning the championship and the custom semi-truck so he could start his own trucking company and the more I think about this movie the more I love it. 3/7/16

Over the Top is exactly that, over the top. It's a movie about a truck driver/arm wrestler played by Sylvester Stallone in a performance that is actually not bad. In all seriousness though, this movie is terrible, just awful. Just think about the plot I mean it's a movie about a guy that drives trucks and workouts only his right arm in his truck for a World arm wrestling competition in Las Vegas to get custody of his son. More or less that's the movie for you. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. This movie has that Rocky Sequel feel, especially at the end and cheesy just doesn't cut it. I mean, you got Stallone with his oh so 80's tan and full of baby oil, the amazing soundtrack and at one point, one guy drinks oil. Yeah, that actually happens in this movie. But although it's all terrible, it instantly becomes sort of entertaining. I liked this movie. I didn't like it a lot, and I think its not one of the best cheesy 80's guilty pleasure type movies, although I did find it hilarious and enjoyable at the same time. OK 80's cheese fest.

Over The Top is a sports drama about arm-wrestling that features Sylvester Stallone together with Robert Loggia,Susan Blakely and David Mendenhall.Late Israeli director Menahem Golan directed it.Lincoln Hawk is a truck driver who left his estranged wife and son ten years ago.His ex-wife Christina is very ill and has requested him to visit his son Michael from school so that two of them can form a relationship.Unfortunately,his controlling grandfather Jason Cutler,a wealthy businessman, is hates his him and disapproves of it.In the end,Hawk joins an arm wrestling competition to win in order to earn the respect of his son and try to rebuild his life from the earnings he would receive.Just like many other films that Stallone has starred on,this is another action film that presents him to be the underdog.No doubt that he got used to this after achieving stardom from the boxing classic Rocky.While it offers really nothing new and refreshing as it is a clichéd ridden film,the sport of arm wrestling makes it somehow new and refreshing.The arm wrestling scenes definitely were the best moments of the film that provided the viewers a lot of tension,excitement and entertainment.Probably many arm wrestlers would say,"There must be one film about arm wrestling!!!" and for that reason alone Over The Top delivers.That is why this is definitely the signature film for the sport.