Today’s quick review: Over the Top. Lincoln Hawk (Sylvester Stallone), a trucker, drives his estranged son Michael (David Mendenhall) home from military school on a cross-country roadtrip at the request of the boy’s ailing mother. After a rocky start, the two begin to bond over Hawk’s talent for arm wrestling. But Michael’s wealthy, overbearing grandfather (Robert Loggia) wants Lincoln out of his life and will do anything to get rid of him.
Over the Top is a father-son road movie with sports elements. Sylvester Stallone stars as Lincoln Hawk, a trucker who regrets leaving his wife and son ten years ago. Now that his wife is dying, she wants Michael to get to know his father. But Michael, a bookish, stuck up child spoiled by his grandfather, wants nothing to do with the father who was never there for him.
In spite of its name, Over the Top has very little action. Instead, it gets its adrenaline from the world of competitive arm wrestling, where Lincoln is a championship contender. The focus of the story is on the relationship between Lincoln and Michael, but along the way it tells a competent but unusual sports tale. The two sides of the story are oddly paired, and neither one alone is strong enough to carry the movie, but they do work well together.
The tone of the movie is extremely sentimental. For all of their differences, Lincoln and Michael come to see something in each other. Their emotional arc is mirrored by the omnipresent soundtrack, a selection of emotional 80s ballads that flavor the entire movie. The characters are decent but not outstanding, and your enjoyment of the film will depend heavily on how emotional you are feeling.
Watch Over the Top when you are in the mood for a father-son story with a layering of competition. Neither the arm wrestling nor the father-son story are enough to make the film a standout, but competent execution makes it an enjoyable watch.
5.7 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for decent execution of a mediocre premise.