An interesting idea that fell flat

Rating: Null/10 (15 May 2002)

I think Norm McDonald stated it best on a SNL skit with Sly Stallone when he compared this movie to Kramer vs Kramer but with....uh ARM WRESTLING. As much as people bash Stallone, he was actually pretty good in the role of Lincoln Hawk and Robert Loggia gave a fine performace as well. Essentially, this is two movies in one. First, the custody fight for Michael Cutler between by Hawk and Michael's grandfather could stand alone without the arm-wrestling. But this is Stallone we are talking about and his fans won't accept a movie without action. It is like Arnold without the catchy one liners. So enter arm-wrestling. This is where the movie falls apart. As much as they tried to show the unique culture behind these competition, we don't get to know much about techniques or strategies except for the "over the top" move. It just seemed like the arm wrestling was just tagged on to give Sly a way to win his son back at the end. So if you like a movie with Stallone in a dramatic custody fight for his son and you like a movie about arm-wrestling, I would recommend finding OVER THE TOP on your cable network. It is like Kramer vs Kramer but with....uh ARM WRESTLING. :)