Over the Top (1987 film)

Last updated

Over the Top
Over the Top (1987 film) cover art.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Menahem Golan
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography David Gurfinkel
Edited by
Music by Giorgio Moroder
Color process Metrocolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release dates
  • February 12, 1987 (1987-02-12)(New York and Los Angeles)
[1]
  • February 13, 1987 (1987-02-13)(United States)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million [2]
Box office$16 million [3]

Over the Top is a 1987 American sports drama film starring Sylvester Stallone. It was produced and directed by Menahem Golan, and its screenplay was written by Stirling Silliphant and Stallone. The original music score was composed by Giorgio Moroder. The main character, Lincoln Hawk, played by Stallone, is a long-haul truck driver who tries to win back his estranged son, Michael, while becoming a champion arm wrestler.

Contents

Plot

Lincoln Hawk is a truck driver who also arm wrestles for extra cash. His estranged wife Christina, who is suffering from heart disease, asks that Hawk pick up their young son Michael from military school and develop a relationship with him (Hawk had left them ten years earlier). Michael's wealthy grandfather - Christina's father, Jason Cutler - believes that Hawk has no right to be in his grandson's life. Michael distrusts Hawk initially and treats him with contempt.

Over the course of a trip from Colorado to California, the two bond. When they arrive at the hospital, Christina has died from complications during surgery. Michael blames Hawk for delaying his arrival and leaves for his grandfather's estate. An attempt to retrieve Michael ends with Hawk being arrested when he resorts to ramraiding the gated mansion. Michael visits Hawk in jail and forgives him but says he feels safer living with his grandfather. As a condition of charges being dropped, Hawk is obliged to sign over custody of Michael to Cutler.

Hawk leaves to compete in the World Armwrestling Championship in Las Vegas, hoping to start his own trucking company with the prize money. Most other participants are much larger, including Bull Hurley, the undefeated world champion for the past five years. When Hawk arrives, he sells his truck and uses the proceeds to place a bet on himself (as a 20–1 long shot) to win. Meanwhile, Michael learns Cutler had driven his parents apart and had been hiding letters Hawk had regularly written to him. Stunned by his grandfather's deceptions, Michael steals a pickup truck and drives to Las Vegas to find Hawk.

Hawk advances to the final eight competitors in the double-elimination tournament before suffering his first loss, injuring his arm in the process. Cutler, who is also in Las Vegas, summons Hawk to his hotel suite and offers him a chance for a fresh start: $500,000 and a top-of-the-line semi on the condition that he stay out of their lives for good, but Hawk refuses and vows to retrieve Michael after the tournament. He returns to the tournament with improved focus and advances to the final match against Hurley. Michael finds Hawk and apologizes for misjudging him, which gives Hawk the emotional support to compete. After a long match, Hawk beats Hurley and wins the tournament. A triumphant Hawk and Michael take their winnings and drive off to start a new life together.

Cast

Multiple world armwrestling champions John Brzenk, Cleve Dean, Scott Norton, Allen Fisher, John Vreeland and Andrew "Cobra" Rhodes (who plays the final match referee) also make cameo appearances. [4] Randy Raney who would appear with Stallone the following year in Rambo 3 , plays Mad Dog Madison.

Production

Development and writing

In May 1984, it was reported Stallone would appear in the film for a fee of $12 million. [5] [6] Cannon Films presold the movie over the next few years, during which time Stallone appeared in Rhinestone, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV.

Cannon hired Stirling Silliphant to write the script. "It's an action love story with the emphasis on action," Silliphant says. "It's the story of a man trying to win back the love of his son and win the world arm-wrestling championship in Las Vegas." Although Stallone was a writer and had final cut on the film, Sillphant said "I don't anticipate any problem whatsoever. I'm a very difficult person to abuse...He doesn't have to do anything at this point. He has been very smart about what he can do. He has to protect that." [7]

Filming

The film was shot for about 9 weeks from June 9 to August 15, 1986. [8] [9] The military academy scenes, portrayed as being in Colorado, were filmed at Pomona College in Claremont, California in 1986. [10] The Kirkeby mansion at 750 Bel Air Road, Los Angeles (also the home of the Clampett family on the CBS comedy The Beverly Hillbillies ) was used to portray the Cutler estate. [11] Parts of the film were also shot in Monument Valley, Utah. [12] Olive View–UCLA Medical Center was also used as the hospital.

Music

In late 1986, producer/director Menahem Golan chose prestigious Italian composer and record producer Giorgio Moroder as music supervisor of the soundtrack. Moroder was in charge of creating a concept album with a compilation of new songs in different genres and diverse artists, writing most tracks on the album himself in collaboration with Tom Whitlock. [13]

The soundtrack album was released on February 13, 1987, under CBS to coincide with the release of the movie. It contains music from Frank Stallone, Kenny Loggins (who performs the film's central theme, "Meet Me Half Way"), Eddie Money, and Sammy Hagar. John Wetton, lead singer of the rock group Asia, sang "Winner Takes It All" for the movie, but after performing the song, it was felt that his voice wasn't "mean" enough, so the song was offered to Hagar, whose version, featuring a bass guitar solo from Hagar's then-bandmate Eddie Van Halen, ended up being the one on the soundtrack. Asia is credited for the track "Gypsy Soul", but Wetton is the only Asia member who actually contributed to the song.

The track listing is:

  1. "Winner Takes It All" – Sammy Hagar
  2. "In This Country" – Robin Zander (international versions of the film had Eddie Money singing instead)
  3. "Take It Higher" – Larry Greene
  4. "All I Need Is You" – Big Trouble
  5. "Bad Nite" – Frank Stallone
  6. "Meet Me Half Way" – Kenny Loggins
  7. "Gypsy Soul" – Asia
  8. "The Fight (Instrumental)" – Giorgio Moroder
  9. "Mind Over Matter" – Larry Greene
  10. "I Will Be Strong" – Eddie Money

Stallone appears in the video for "Winner Takes It All," wrestling Hagar at the end of the video. Hagar says in his video commentary on the DVD The Long Road to Cabo that he was unenthusiastic about the song. Hagar says that Stallone gave him his black cap at the end of the shoot, both signed it, and the cap went to charity, fetching around $10,000.

Reception

Box office

Theatrical international release poster by Renato Casaro Over the Top - Renato Casaro (1987 Film).jpg
Theatrical international release poster by Renato Casaro

Over the Top was released by Warner Bros. on Thursday, February 12, 1987, in New York and Los Angeles before expanding to 1,758 theaters on Friday, grossing $5.1 million over the President's Day weekend, finishing in fourth place. [1] In total, the film earned $16 million in the US and Canada. [14]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 32% based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10. The site's consensus states: "The definitive film about arm-wrestling truck drivers fighting for custody of their children, Over the Top lives down to its title in the cheesiest of ways." [15] On Metacritic, it has a score of 40 out of 100 based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [17]

Variety called it "routinely made in every respect". [18] Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it "muddled" and criticized the number of product placements. [19] Rita Kempley of The Washington Post wrote that the film does not live up to Stallone's Rocky films and is "virtually a feature-length video" because of all the rock songs. [20]

Movie historian Leonard Maltin seemed to agree: "Title merely begins to describe this heavy-handed variation on The Champ ...In trying to underplay, Stallone speaks so quietly that you often can't make out what he's saying." [21]

The film received three nominations at the 8th Golden Raspberry Awards in 1988. David Mendenhall won two for both Worst Supporting Actor and Worst New Star, and Sylvester Stallone was nominated for Worst Actor, which he lost to Bill Cosby for Leonard Part 6 .

Stallone later said of the film, "I would have made it less glossy and set it more in an urban environment, for one. Next, I would've not used a never-ending stream of rock songs, but scored music instead, and most likely would've made the event in Vegas more ominous – not so carnival-like." [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvester Stallone</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1946)

Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTA Awards. Stallone is one of only two actors in history to have starred in a box-office No. 1 film across six consecutive decades.

<i>Rocky IV</i> 1985 film by Sylvester Stallone

Rocky IV is a 1985 American sports drama film starring, written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. The film is the sequel to Rocky III (1982) and the fourth installment in the Rocky film series. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Brigitte Nielsen, and Dolph Lundgren. In the film, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) confronts Ivan Drago (Lundgren), a Soviet boxer responsible for another personal tragedy in Balboa's life.

<i>Flashdance</i> 1983 American romantic drama film by Adrian Lyne

Flashdance is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer, Alex Owens, who aspires to become a professional ballerina, alongside Michael Nouri, who plays her boyfriend and the owner of the steel mill where she works by day in Pittsburgh. It was the first collaboration of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and the presentation of some sequences in the style of music videos was an influence on other 1980s films including Footloose, Purple Rain, and Top Gun, Simpson and Bruckheimer's most famous production. It was also one of Lyne's first major film releases, building on television commercials. Alex's elaborate dance sequences were shot using body doubles.

<i>Cobra</i> (1986 film) 1986 film by George P. Cosmatos

Cobra is a 1986 American action drama film directed by George P. Cosmatos and written by Sylvester Stallone, who stars in the titular role. The film, loosely based on the novel A Running Duck by Paula Gosling, co-stars Reni Santoni, Brigitte Nielsen and Andrew Robinson. Cobra follows Los Angeles police Lt. Marion "Cobra" Cobretti, who investigates a string of violent crimes and also protects a witness targeted by the perpetrators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cannon Group, Inc.</span> Film studio

The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that invested heavily in the video market, buying the international video rights to several classic film libraries. Some of their best known films include Joe (1970), Runaway Train (1985) and Street Smart (1987), all of which were Oscar-nominated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolco Pictures</span> Defunct US independent film production company

Carolco Pictures, Inc. was an American independent film studio that existed from 1976 to 1995, founded by Mario Kassar and Andrew G. Vajna. Kassar and Vajna ran Carolco together until 1989, when Vajna left to form Cinergi Pictures. Carolco hit its peak in the 1980s and early 1990s, with blockbuster successes including the first three films of the Rambo franchise, Field of Dreams, Total Recall, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Basic Instinct, Universal Soldier, Cliffhanger and Stargate. Nevertheless, the company was losing money overall, and it required a corporate restructuring in 1992. The 1995 film Cutthroat Island was produced as a comeback for the studio, but it instead lost them $147 million, and the company was quickly brought to an end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Stallone</span> American actor and musician

Frank Stallone Jr. is an American actor and musician. He is the younger brother of actor Sylvester Stallone and has written music for Sylvester's movies. His song "Far from Over" appeared in the 1983 film Staying Alive and was included in the film's soundtrack album. The song reached number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received a Golden Globe nomination for Stallone, while the album itself, consisting of Stallone and various other artists, received a Grammy nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arm wrestling</span> Sport between two competitors

Arm wrestling is a sport with two opponents who face each other with their bent elbows placed on a table and hands firmly gripped, who then attempt to force the opponent's hand down to the table top. The sport is often casually used to demonstrate the stronger person between two or more people. Arm wrestling is an ancient sport that was revived in the 1950s in the United States. In September 1962, the first world wrestling championship was held in Petaluma, California, as this wrestling was called.

Stirling Dale Silliphant was an American screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his screenplay for In the Heat of the Night, for which he won an Academy Award in 1967, and for creating the television series Naked City, Perry Mason, and Route 66. Other features as screenwriter include the Irwin Allen productions The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure.

Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling is a women's professional wrestling promotion that began in 1986 and has continued in various forms after it left television. Colorful characters, strong women, and over-the-top comedy sketches were integral to the series' success. Most of the performers were actresses, models, dancers or stunt women hoping to enter show business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menahem Golan</span> Israeli film director and producer

Menahem Golan was an Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He co-owned The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon specialized in producing low-to-mid-budget American films, primarily genre films, during the 1980s after Golan and Globus had achieved significant filmmaking success in their native Israel during the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Whitlock</span> American songwriter (1954–2023)

Thomas Ross Whitlock was an American songwriter, best known for co-writing the Academy Award– and Golden Globe–winning song "Take My Breath Away", performed by Berlin from the film Top Gun, with Giorgio Moroder. He wrote another song for the film, "Danger Zone", performed by Kenny Loggins.

<i>The Apple</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by Menahem Golan

The Apple is a 1980 science fiction-musical film written and directed by Menahem Golan. It stars Catherine Mary Stewart as a young singer named Bibi, who, in a futuristic 1994, signs to an evil label named Boogalow International Music. It deals with themes of conformity versus rebellion, and makes use of biblical allegory including the tale of Adam and Eve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoram Globus</span> Israeli-American film producer

Yoram Globus is an Israeli–American film producer, cinema owner, and distributor. He has been involved in over 300 full-length motion pictures and he is most known for his association with The Cannon Group, Inc., an American film production company, which he co-owned with his cousin Menahem Golan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danger Zone (song)</span> 1986 single by Kenny Loggins

"Danger Zone" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins in 1986, with music composed by Giorgio Moroder and lyrics written by Tom Whitlock. The song was one of the hit singles from the soundtrack to the 1986 American film Top Gun. It was the best-selling soundtrack of 1986 and one of the best-selling of all time. According to Allmusic.com, the album "remains a quintessential artifact of the mid-'80s" and the album's hits "still define the bombastic, melodramatic sound that dominated the pop charts of the era". The song is also featured in the 2022 sequel film Top Gun: Maverick and its soundtrack, using the same original recording.

David Athen Mendenhall is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Space Raiders, Over the Top, The Transformers: The Movie and They Still Call Me Bruce.

Richard Lee Zumwalt Jr. was an American professional arm-wrestler and actor. He is known for playing the character of Bob "Bull" Hurley in the 1987 Sylvester Stallone movie Over the Top.

<i>The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films</i> 2014 Israeli film

The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films is a 2014 documentary film, produced and directed by Hilla Medalia and written by Medalia and Daniel Sivan.

DevonLarratt is a Canadian professional armwrestler, content creator, and a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces. Considered to be one of the best arm wrestlers in the world and as of the King Of The Table 7 event, the title holder of the best arm wrestler in North America, he has collaborated to popularize the sport to a wider audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winner Takes It All (Sammy Hagar song)</span> 1987 single by Sammy Hagar

"Winner Takes It All " is a 1987 rock song written by record producer Giorgio Moroder and Thomas Whitlock and recorded by Sammy Hagar. Originally was included in the soundtrack of the Sylvester Stallone movie Over the Top, being the first track and second single from the album, released through CBS Records. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and No. 54 on their Hot 100 chart. It appears in Hagar's 2004 compilation album The Essential Red Collection.

References

  1. 1 2 "'Platoon' Pumps Up February B.O.; Brisk Biz At Top". Variety . February 18, 1987. p. 3.
  2. ↑ Kremer, Daniel (2015). Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films. University Press of Kentucky. p. 288. ISBN   978-0-8131-6597-4.
  3. ↑ "Over the Top (1987)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Online World of Wrestling". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
  5. ↑ HOT GOSSIP Stewart, Susan. Philadelphia Daily News; Philadelphia, Pa. [Philadelphia, Pa]17 May 1984: 36.
  6. ↑ Natale, Richard (August 8, 2014). "Menahem Golan, Who Headed Cannon Films, Dies at 85". Variety. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ DR PEPPER BUBBLES UP TO GODZILLA: [Home Edition] Mathews, Jack. Los Angeles Times2 Aug 1985: 1.
  8. ↑ Weekly Variety Magazine; May 28, 1986; Page 93
  9. ↑ Daily Variety Magazine; August 19, 1986; Page 3
  10. ↑ "Pomonona College Timeline, 1980–1989". Pomona College . Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ Ryon, Ruth (August 10, 1986). "Mayor of Nice to Build in Canyon Area". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN   978-1-4236-0587-4.
  13. ↑ Allmusic review
  14. ↑ "Stallone Loses A Box-office Arm-wrestle". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Over the Top". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Over the Top". Metacritic . Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  17. ↑ "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on February 6, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Review: 'Over the Top'". Variety . 1987. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ Maslin, Janet (February 12, 1987). "Over the Top (1986)". The New York Times . Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ Kempley, Rita (February 20, 1987). "'Over the Top' (PG)". The Washington Post . Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  21. ↑ Maltin's Movie & Video Guide[ citation needed ][ ISBN missing ]
  22. ↑ "Stallone answers December 9th & 10th Questions in a double round - plus Harry's Seen ROCKY BALBOA at BNAT!!!". Ain't It Cool News. December 16, 2006. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.