Over The Top

This Sly Stallone arm-wrestling movie is a muscle-fueled tale of fatherhood and peak 80s drama.

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PRE GAME 💪

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Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻

I hope you guys have had a good week! The sun has been shining here in Scotland, and despite a few frosty mornings, it very much feels like spring is in the air.

This time of year always inspires new beginnings, and leaves me wanting to try new things and get more creative. I’ve been thinking about some new features and enhancements I want to bring to Balls on Film, which I’m going to start working on soon. I’d still like to re-launch The Clubhouse feature that I tested several months back, but with some changes that should make it more manageable for me, and more entertaining for you guys. I’ve got a few more ideas brewing for the future to make Balls on Film even better, and I’ll share more with you over the next few weeks and months. The first thing I’m going to add here is an archive page with all of the reviews sorted by sports movie sub-genre, to make it easier to go back and access all the stuff we’ve already covered. I’m hoping this will help new subscribers access the archive much more easily, and stop stuff just getting lost down the Substack rabbit hole.

We talked about the rumours a few weeks ago, but this week Apple TV made it official and confirmed that Ted Lasso season 4 is coming.

Deadline has reported that production is expected to begin in July, and that Ted will be back to coach the AFC Richmond women’s team this time. I’m one of the biggest Ted Lasso fans you’ll ever meet, and will be there to welcome the return of Coach on day one. I’ll always have some trepidation about bringing back such a beloved show that I thought had a perfect ending - but I trust the team behind it to create magic once more.

For now though, let’s turn our attention to the world of arm-wrestling and truck driving. Let’s go OVER THE TOP!

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FIRST HALF 💪

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If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Rocky put down his boxing gloves and hit the open road to pursue a new career path, Over the Top might just be the movie you never knew you needed. There’s arm wrestling, family drama, 80s power ballads, and more trucker hats than you can count. It’s a movie that certainly lives up to its name!

Warner

Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk (10/10 name), a truck driver trying to reconnect with his estranged son, Michael, against the wishes of his father-in-law (Robbert Loggia), whilst also training for the World Arm Wrestling Championship in Las Vegas. Yes, you read that right. There’s cash and a brand new truck up for grabs at the competition, because for some reason, arm wrestling and trucking are inexplicably linked in this world. It appears that everyone who drives a truck is also a huge, muscle-bound arm wrestling monster. There’s talk of rivalries, opponents ducking others for years, and the tournament itself is presented like a UFC event. It treats arm-wrestling like it’s the most intense sport on the planet, with huge crowds filling arenas and baying for blood. It’s a world that seems pretty absurd even for 1980s America, but it certainly makes for a fun ride.

Warner

Look, Over The Top isn’t a good movie in the traditional sense, but it’s stupidly entertaining. What makes it so fun is its unapologetic sincerity. Stallone plays the part with a soft-spoken charm, and delivers heartfelt lines about fatherhood and second chances while simultaneously crushing opponents arms wherever he and Michael stop on the road. The arm wrestling scenes are ridiculously overblown (some might say, over the top), with veins popping, sweat dripping and trash talk being hurled between opponents. And there’s signature move - the slow, deliberate hand shift and hat turn that signal he’s about to flip the switch and go full beast mode to win the match. It’s all glorious, silly fun that leaves you rolling your eyes and smiling at the same time.

The ridiculousness of it all doesn’t end there. The whole movie is about fatherhood, against this arm-wrestling backdrop, but there were several moments here where I couldn’t help but question Hawk as a father. Like where he makes his soft-spoken son arm wrestle random kids at diner like it’s some kind of bizarre rite of passage, hyping him up like he’s his corner man in a fight. It’s one of the movie’s most unintentionally funny scenes. I found myself siding with the kid’s grandfather in that moment.

Warner

I actually think I’d have preferred the movie to have leaned into absurdity a tiny bit more. I was a bit concerned going in that I’d be in for a No Holds Barred-esque tale, but the film never gets that ridiculous. It’s also a much better movie - not really a compliment here. But there are elements I actually wished they’d ran with a bit further, mainly Robert Loggia’s character. Michael’s wealthy grandfather wants to keep his him away from Hawk and tries to make this happen with bribery, and the help of hired goons and lawyers. Surprisingly though, Loggia doesn’t lean as hard into the whole villain thing as you might expect. While his character is controlling at times, his motivations are rooted in a misguided protectiveness and make him feel more grounded than an outright bad guy. It throws off the tone of the movie a bit, considering the plot. The film also lacks a real memorable villain in general. There’s the angry opponents that Hawk has to take on, but that’s about it. Had Loggia gone full evil caricature, I think it would have worked much better.

Warner

I also have to give special mention to the soundtrack, which is pure 80s power and emotion. I love a good 80’s soundtrack - it can really make a movie memorable, and the music choices here really stood out. The soundtrack almost feels like a character in itself, and it really adds to the weighty, high stakes picture of the arm wrestling world that it’s trying to paint. Every track feels like it was written especially for a montage of Sylvester Stallone slowly turning his hat backward in dramatic fashion. If arm wrestling competitions had WWE-style walkout music, this soundtrack would be the perfect pairing.

Warner

Is Over the Top a great movie? Not by any means. It’s a movie that’s probably best enjoyed with your favourite beverage and a few friends. It’s a slice of pure 80s cheese that takes itself just seriously enough to work in some emotional beats that actually land, yet never forgets that it’s a movie about arm wrestling. Turn your brain off, and your hat backwards and you’ll have a fun time with this one.

Over The Top is available to rent or purchase on most digital platforms.

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HALFTIME 🍿

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Let’s take a break for halftime.

Here’s what I’ve been watching this week.

Running Point

I started this new Netflix basketball comedy-drama from Mindy Kaling, and immediately couldn’t help but get the feeling that the show is trying to go for that comforting Ted Lasso vibe. While it’s not reached that level for me yet, I’m enjoying it so far. Kate Hudson is great, and they also use exterior shots of the Hydro Arena right here in Glasgow, Scotland as the Los Angeles basketball venue:

Los Glasgow?

I never thought I’d see Glasgow doubling for Los Angeles, but here we are!

Running Point is available to stream on Netflix.

Mickey 17

I’d heard a few differing opinions on this ahead of seeing it, but I had a great time. Exciting, funny and just the right amount of bonkers. It’s definitely a Bong Joon-ho movie! It’s crazy to think that this has been delayed for so long, and was made ages ago. It feels so fresh and of the time in so many ways. Pattinson is awesome, and I also enjoyed Mark Ruffalo’s entertaining and completely unhinged performance too.

In some sports movie news, Netflix released a new trailer for the upcoming Happy Gilmore 2 this week. Since we've already covered the first movie here, I think we’ll do this one on release in July. Are you guys looking forward to Happy coming back?

As usual, let me know what you’re watching or what you’re planning to go see. Let’s get back to Over The Top!

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SECOND HALF 💪

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Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.

BEST SCENE 🏆

I mean, it’s got to be the first arm wrestling match. It perfectly sums up just how cheesy and fun this movie is. It happens fairly early on, and I knew I was in for some peak 80s cheese as soon as I saw this. Again, I just love the way in which movie presents arm wrestling almost like a major sport in a lot of ways. It’s a ton of fun.

Oh, and the award for the funniest scene goes to this gem, where Hawk talks about how turning his hat before a match causes him to become a different person.

BEST LINE 🏆

This should probably be the funniest quote award.

Lincoln Hawk: “What I do is, I just try to take my hat and I turn it around, and it's like a switch that goes on. And when the switch goes on, I feel like another person, I feel, I don't know, I feel like a... like a truck. Like a machine.”

Poetry.

MVP AWARD 🏆

It’s Tom Selleck. Jack Elliot is a bit of a douche at times, but Selleck always has this pure likability and still manages to make you root for him the whole time. This movie could have very easily been much more silly than it is, and a big part of that is because of how Selleck plays it.

TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆

Per IMDb:

Years later, Sylvester Stallone explained why he agreed to appear in this movie. "Menahem Golan kept offering me more and more money, until I finally thought, 'What the hell - no one will see it!'"

BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆

This one Letterboxd user is in his feelings over this movie.

Clayton Schrock on Letterboxd

BONUS FEATURES 💿

Here’s Stallone talking about the movie on its release:

And a really great clip of Siskel and Ebert giving their take on the movie:

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POST-GAME 💪

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Next week, it’s my favourite time of year - Opening Day! Baseball is back, and I’m so excited for another painful exciting season watching my Yankees! I’m going to celebrate the new season with some baseball movies, so next week we’ll turn to Major League, which is one that quite a few of you have requested.

I’m off to watch the Severance finale now. Let’s hope we’re not waiting three years for the next season this time round!

See you next week! 👋🏻

~James