Over the Top (1987) is a testosterone-fueled, heart-on-its-sleeve underdog story that blends arm wrestling, fatherhood, and ’80s melodrama into a film that’s as earnest as it is outrageous. Directed by Menahem Golan and starring Sylvester Stallone at his most gravel-voiced and sweat-drenched, the movie aims to tug at your heartstrings while flexing its muscles—literally.
Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk, a soft-spoken trucker and arm wrestler who’s estranged from his son Michael, a prep school cadet raised by his wealthy grandfather. When Hawk is given a second chance to reconnect with Michael during a cross-country trip, the duo must learn to trust each other. Along the way, the open road becomes a place for emotional healing, and the Las Vegas arm wrestling championship becomes the film’s unlikely battlefield for redemption.
As absurd as it sounds, Over the Top finds sincerity in its formula. It’s a bizarre but oddly touching film that doesn’t shy away from its corny premise. The training montages, the synth-heavy soundtrack (featuring Sammy Hagar and Kenny Loggins), and Stallone’s intense, grunting performances somehow gel into something both campy and kindhearted.
Critically, the film was panned for its predictability and melodrama, yet it has since garnered a cult following for those very reasons. It’s a movie that knows exactly what it is: a celebration of grit, sweat, and second chances.
Whether you see it as a ridiculous relic of ’80s cinema or a heartfelt fable about a man trying to earn his son’s love—one arm-wrestle at a time—Over the Top delivers a strange but satisfying punch. It may not win any trophies for subtlety, but it definitely wears its heart (and biceps) on its sleeve.
