SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Sylvester Stallone plays an underdog athlete getting his shot at the big-time and also a chance at redemption. No, this isn't Rocky Balboa. It's the story of Lincoln Hawk (an awesomely fake movie name), a truck driver/amateur arm-wrestler. In what is likely the worst "sports" movie of all time, Stallone tries to win back his son and win a big arm wrestling completion at the same time. Said competition is hilariously filled with 80s style professional wrestling types of characters who seems to grunt and sweat more than speak human words. Even more ridiculous is Stallone's secret arm wrestling move where he repositions his hand to defeat his opponents, which begs the question, way aren't all of the other arm wrestlers using this same move or coming up with some sort of counter move after having seem Sly go "over the top" several times during the picture? Whoever had the idea that audiences were clamoring for a film about the world of competitive arm wrestling was quite mistaken. That person was likely producer/director/studio head Menahem Golan. "Over the Top" has added entertainment value for me, having recently watched the documentary "Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films," which documented the rise and fall of Canon Films, including how this film's excesses contributed into Canon's eventual demise. Featuring wall-to-wall cheesy rock music (by the great Giorgio Moroder, no less) and non-stop product placements (everything from Alka-Seltzer to Pennzoil to BRUT cologne), this film is the typification of excess (or over-the-top, if you will) at it's most ridiculous. However, in the film's favor, I did get a lot of ironic entertainment value out of how mind boggling awful it is. I'll also say that I do honestly think Stallone is a good actor, despite what his detractors may say, even if it's hard to see it in this film. Although I gave this film two stars out of five, it really deserves much less. If your film is beat out at the box office opening weekend by "Mannequin," "Outrageous Fortune," and "Platoon," your film is likely not going to be a big success. Overall, if you're in the mood for a movie that's so-bad-it's-good, you might get ironic enjoyment from this nonsensical film.

OK, so this one doesn't get mentioned a lot when you're listing Stallone movies out loud. Rocky, Rambo, Cobra are the ones who come to mind quick and true to the fact that they are all rightfully legendary in their own right. Any one familiar with Stallone from the 70's, 80's and 90's can mention those 3 right off the bat. I am a HUGE Stallone fan. I love the guy more than I love my biological father (don't even ask). So, when I ask guys who are familiar with him to name a few of his movies, Over the Top is never mentioned and that....really annoys me. Over the Top is not a film that was meant to win an Oscar, if you'll pardon the pun to Sly's comedy masterpiece, but it sure should have turned some heads. Think about it, it's 1986. Rocky and Rambo have happened. Schwarzenegger has had The Terminator and Commando out. They are Hollywood's Go-to Action stars at the moment. So when Stallone decides to do this little film, which he acknowledges that he only made because it was quite a lot of money offered to him and he knew the role nor the script were anything special, you gotta love his efforts here. If it hadnt been Stallone in this, I probably wouldn't cherish it as much as I do. The movie is an 80s hidden gem. Why? OK, take it for what it is, and what do you have? A touching story about an everyday trucker who wishes to win an arm wrestling competition to gain the trust and respect of his son. Is that not noble enough? Apparently not to most. The movie has a beautiful message that CAN still be translated to today, but people will discard it because of their dislike for Stallone. Personally, I agree that Stallone's acting is not for everyone but to me, it is like Sushi, meaning that it is not for everyone and some people hate it incredibly but does that mean it's terrible? NOPE. Not at all. It is just a matter of taste. Stallone has always had a way of inspiring you through his roles, making underdogs believably outnumbered and surprisingly heroic, if Rocky and Rambo are not prime examples of that, I don't know what is. Back to the movie, it displays pretty strong acting from the kid who plays Stallone's son. May I remind you that before this movie, the kid did a lot of voice work?? Not too bad a transition, as well as Robert Loggia who looks very sinister EVEN in playing a well respected and powerfully influencing figure who can even disrespect heads of a military prep academy without batting an eye. Thats about it for the acting portion, which Stallone carries beautifully as much as an 80s hot action star can. Then there's the score for this film. Personally, I think it is wonderful. As a kid, I fell in love with "Winner takes it All'' and ''Meet me Halfway'' just because they sounded cool, cant say the same for the other tracks their respective singers put out but these ones were nice. Giorgio Moroder, whom a lot of us PACINO fans know, produced most of the Scarface film score. Now, this one doesn't have the bouncy and hacky Disco feel that Scarface did, rather than it holds a combo of power rock and synth laden riffs to make it sound like either a video game or a legitimate sports competition being broadcast. It fits very nicely though, considering the premise of the movie. To me, Over the Top is a childhood memory that I will always treasure. Watching it on DVD now, still gives me nostalgia and like I said, had it been another person playing Lincoln Hawk, I wouldn't have seen it twice. Sylvester Stallone is just such a unique and talented individual, that only he can give a character the toughness and vulnerability at the same time that he needs to make a movie inspirational and he continues to prove it EVEN after all these years, as he wins the Golden Globe for Rocky Balboa in a terrific movie called Creed, so if you cant value his talent and ability, then you just hate the guy out of sheer petulance. If you expected this to be Ben Hur or something, then you really don't know anything about cinema and only watch mainstream movies that mostly don't mean anything. Over the Top will always be a good little movie to watch, even if you're not a fan of the sport or the actor.

This is a typical Stallone film with a typical Stallone script, which is exactly why I enjoyed it so much. This is basically a road movie about a father whose trying to win the love of his son, Lincoln's ambition to win the world arm wrestling championship is cleverly used as a constant parody to the developing relationship between father and son.. The music that runs throughout the entire movie just adds to the effect. If someone is looking for the most inspirational speech in the history of mankind, then look no further than the scene right before the final arm wrestling match between Hawk and Bull Harley. Stallone emotionally explains how he becomes like a machine, or more specifically a truck, by simply turning his hat backwards. The emotional roller-coaster that is this film also provides yet another showcase for Mr. Stallone's spine-tingling acting chops, as his emotional, monosyllabic father-son scenes remain some of the most courageous ever captured on film.I'll leave the final thoughts for Stallone's performance. He seems to have a bad rap as an actor, probably solely based on the first Rambo movie, however Stallone shows yet again that while hardly being the best, he is quite adequate. I love how for instance that Stallone comes across the entire movie as if he has two brain cells, yet it is he who we are really willing for. All in all, a good movie above expectations, that probably could not be made with the same impact today.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Continuing my plan to watch every Sly Stallone movie in order, I come to 1987's Over The Top. Plot In A Paragraph: Lincoln Hawk (Stallone) is a trucker who arm wrestles to make extra cash. Hawk's estranged wife Christina, who is ill, asks him pick up their son Michael (David Mendenhall) from military school so that the two of them can get to know each other; (Hawk had left them ten years earlier) Michael's controlling grandfather Jason Cutler (Robert Loggia), a very wealthy man, hates Hawk and believes that he has no right to be in his grandson's life, and does everything he can to ensure he isn't in it for long. This is a funny picture in Sly's filmography, as it was the first time he took a role since 'Rocky' purely for the money (although he still had a hand in the screenplay) Years later, he explained why he agreed to appear in this movie, saying, "(The producer and movies director) Menahem Golan kept offering me more and more money, until I finally thought, 'What the hell - no one will see it!'" It's rumoured the price that made him change his mind was $12 million Basically Rocky with arm wrestling, Stallone is always at his best as the under dog, and Over The Top is no exception, Loggia is as reliable as always, and Susan Blakely (who previously starred with Stallone in 'Lords Of Flatbush' and 'Capone') is fine in her small role, whilst the movie has a great soundtrack with some catchy rock songs. That said it's very much a product of it time, with Producers Golan & Globus producing a lot of movies each year, and with none of them getting preferential treatment. Get them made and get them out seemed to be the motto. On my scoring system, this would rank a 6/10, but (as with Rocky IV) I'm adding an extra point for nostalgia, as I loved the movie as a kid.