Over the Top
Over the Top
PG | 13 February 1987 (USA)
Over the Top Trailers

Sylvester Stallone stars as hard-luck big-rig trucker Lincoln Hawk and takes us under the glaring Las Vegas lights for all the boisterous action of the World Armwrestling Championship. Relying on wits and willpower, Hawk tries to rebuild his life by capturing the first-place prize money, and the love of the son he abandoned years earlier into the keeping of his rich, ruthless father-in-law.

Reviews
SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen
Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess
Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.
Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
bboygringo If you don't like this movie the problem is not the.movie the problem is with you, I really can't believe this is actually rated below the 7.0, it's a really touching and beautiful classic nostalgia, not a masterpiece but a lovely and enjoyable film, either you gotta watch it again with attentions or make a brain exchange.
a_chinn 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.
brandonmatzke-69819 Over The Top is bad. It's corny. Every actor (except for Stallone) acts like they had 50 gallons of coffee before filming. Not to mention, the script is extremely formulaic and cheesy. And that's exactly why I love it. It's flaws make it even more entertaining, it's hyperactive attitude makes it brilliant, and it's corny script makes it work like magic! I mean, it's just ARM WRESTLING, but the film acts like it's curing cancer! I personally find it to be a guilty pleasure. Far from Stallone's best (look at the Rocky franchise for that), but still entertaining enough to hold a spot on anyone's collection. But seriously watch Rocky first.
juneebuggy 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