Has some good moments but is basically just a clichéd and sentimental 'father/son bonding' drama that fits in well in the daytime TV schedules

Rating: Null/10 (23 August 2004)

Lincoln Hawk is a lonesome trucker who is trying to get his life in order having walked out on his wife and son about twelve years ago. With his ex-wife in a terminal condition, she asks Lincoln to collect Michael from his military prep school and come to see her  hopefully allowing them to bond at the same time. Despite the resistance from Michael's grandfather and a less than happy Michael not interested in his dad, the journey begins in Lincoln's truck. Along the way they win money through Lincoln's arm wrestling and gradually father and son start to develop a liking for one another.
After Rambo and Rocky movies, Stallone must have seen this film as a way to showcase his acting ability with a more sensitive and thoughtful family piece but really this film is far from being anything new and is just a fairly clichéd and uninspiring sentimental drama. The plot sees a snotty brat teamed up with his working class father and, after initial reluctance, they gradually win each over. In each movie like this something needs to bring them together and here it is a road trip and arm-wrestling. The arm-wrestling produces some muscle-bound action for Stallone's traditional fans as well as being the plot driver. However it never manages to rise above the clichés of the genre and it is all a little dull and overly sweet.
The film has regular 'pop video' moments that up the saccharine count without adding emotional involvement but at times the script does allow actual chemistry between father and son. A heavy handed subplot about Michael's Grandfather trying to steal him back seems out of place.
Despite the sentimentality the cast do well enough for an average film. I've always considered Stallone to have determination if not talent; here he tries hard but he plays Lincoln as far too worthy and nice  the script even helps him by simply brushing over the reasons for him leaving his family in the first place. Mendenhall is rather annoying at the start but this is part of his character and he does work away from that well. Loggia is just there to provide a 'bad guy' to simplify the film for Stallone's fans and Blakely simply talks quietly in her few scenes. None of them really do that well  partly because the material is too basic but at least Stallone and Mendenhall have a sort of chemistry.
Overall this is a fairly ordinary film that seems to be trying to be too many things but just ends up being a clichéd sentimental father/son drama that, 15 years later, has found its natural home on daytime television. Worth a watch once as long as you can accept it on these terms but otherwise it ain't much cop.