'Over the Top'—Paternal Bonding Via Arm Wrestling

Hello, and welcome back to Second Chances where the maligned and forgotten get another shot at the championship.

Since Father's Day is this weekend, I wanted to talk about a movie that revolved around the theme of fatherhood. It took barely a few seconds to decide which one: the 1987 Sylvester Stallone drama Over the Top. Despite its bombing at the box office (making $16 million against a $25 million budget), its critical bashing (only a 27% approval on Rotten Tomatoes), and three Razzie nominations (winning two), this movie was nonetheless a major presence throughout my life. It was one of the first Stallone movies I ever saw. It's one of my step-father's favorite movies. It was also a favorite of my late father who died sixteen years ago. There's a lot of sentimental value tied to this movie, which allows me to look past its silly parts, uneven acting, and Cannon Films trappings, and just enjoy it.

Sly plays Lincoln Hawk, a down-on-his-luck trucker who makes some extra money arm wrestling at truck stops. Due to conflict with Jason Cutler, his elitist father-in-law, played by Robert Loggia, he was forced to desert his wife Christina (Susan Blakely) and newborn son Michael. Ten years later when the movie picks up, Hawk is asked by a critically ill Christina to pick up the now-ten-year-old Michael (David Mendenhall) and bring him home from military school. The problem is that Michael's grandfather Jason poisoned the well, filling Michael's head with so many lies about his father that he learned to despise him before ever meeting him. Over the course of the journey from Colorado to California, Hawk tries desperately to connect with the mistrusting Michael, while Cutler does everything possible to get in the way. At the same time, Hawk also prepares for a world arm wrestling tournament being held in Las Vegas, which, if he wins, could get his life back on solid ground. However, the one standing in his way there is his longtime rival and current champion Bull Hurley (Rick Zumwalt).

Like the protagonist himself, the movie had the odds stacked against it right from the start just because it's from Cannon Films. I talked about Cannon, and its leads Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus when I reviewed Lifeforce previously. While PG-rated and lacking the exploitive nudity that typically shows up in their work, Over the Top is very much a Cannon film, especially since Golan actually directed this one himself. The combination of paternal drama mixed with sports drama centering on arm wrestling of all things is the kind of crazy idea that only Golan and Globus would've approved, since they were throwing millions all over the place at the time. Though Sly himself did his best to polish the script, there were plenty of problems that anyone can spot.

Cutler's motivations for sabotaging the father-son relationship were never made clear, though the elitism I mentioned is strongly implied. The attempted kidnapping in the middle of the movie felt shoehorned in just to give Sly an action scene. Even the confrontation between Hawk and Cutler at the Hilton near the end felt jumbled as if script pages were out of order. Hell, the movie couldn't even make up its mind whether Lincoln's last name was "Hawk" or "Hawks"; both are used throughout the movie! Then there is Michael. David Mendenhall won both of the Razzies I mentioned previously, and I can't argue with that. His performance was very annoying, as shrill and whiny as if he was still on General Hospital. I know his character was spoiled rotten, and needed a look at the real world, but he still didn't need to be THAT annoying.

I know it seems like I ragged on the movie quite a bit in the last two paragraphs, but what I love about it easily overrides all those issues. Hawk is one of the most believable characters Sly ever played. He's just a guy who made plenty of mistakes and wants to fix them. Anyone can easily identify, and I easily became invested in seeing him succeed. The ending leaves you feeling good despite the plot holes. The cinematography is excellent. The driving scenes show the West in such a good light that I wanted to see that area of the country myself. The arm wrestling matches are exciting. Even knowing that Hawk will win in the end (because that's how almost all sports dramas end), the camerawork, editing, and soundtrack work together to keep the matches intense and energized.

Of course, I can't forget the soundtrack. Even though Sly in interviews dissed the fact that the soundtrack overrode Giorgio Moroder's excellent score, I don't mind because the soundtrack is one of my all-time favorites. Sammy Hagar, Frank Stallone, and Asia all provided great songs. However, the centerpiece is "Meet Me Half Way" by Kenny Loggins. Forget "Danger Zone" from Top Gun; THIS is Loggins' best soundtrack hit, and I just had to share it above. You're welcome. :-)

Over the Top has plenty of problems, no doubt about that. However, I can't help but enjoy it when it comes on. Despite the plot holes and sports drama cliches, it can still get people invested in the character of Lincoln Hawk as much as Rocky Balboa. Sly's victories in connecting with his estranged son and winning the arm wrestling championship can get you cheering as effectively as when he went the distance against Apollo Creed. This movie can easily be found in many Stallone movie collections. Give it another shot this Father's Day.

What do you think? Any other movies that deserve a second chance? Let me know, and take care.