Retro Movie Review 2

Over the Top (1987)

I'm imagining a meeting that may have taken place in the mid-80s between the executives at Warner Bros and Sylvester Stallone. It probably went like this:

Sly: "Hey, yo! You know, I wanna make a new movie."

WB Exec 1: "Sounds great. After Rocky and Rambo, how can you go wrong. What's the movie gonna be about?"

Sly: "I don't know. Prob'ly arm wresslin' or somethin'."

WB Exec 2: "What?"

Sly: "I could drive a truck."

WB Exec 1: "You add a pissed-off old man and a whiny brat kid and you've got yourself a greenlight!"

Well, that's probably not how it happened but it probably wasn't far off. Sylvester Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk, a truck driver/arm wrestler/absent father who tries to get his whiny brat son to accept him on a trip to Las Vegas arm wrestling competition. If you don't like this movie, you can kiss my butt. It shows us just what horribly right about the 80s. This movie could never be made today. One time on the school bus, I was arm wrestling a bigger kid. I started to lose so I tried the "over the top" move. After losing, I was ridiculed for my attempt. Its tough for an 8-year-old to learn that not EVERYTHING they see in a movie is real. Oh well.

If you ever watch this movie, try this drinking game. Whenever you hear any rendition of Kenny Loggins' "Meet You Half Way", take a drink. You'll probably die before you finish the movie.

Let's just hope that Sylvester Stallone decides to follow his current trend of making sequels to his past cinematic successes by making "Over the Top 2: ThumbWrestleMania".