Episode 68 — Over The Top: LIVE!

[JulyDiaz 2797]

Put your hat backwards in preparation for your second dose of Stallone as Bobby Moynihan joins us to discuss the arm wrestling obsessed world of Over The Top! We discuss everything from the weird father/son relationship to the movie basically becoming a high stakes arm wrestling documentary. We also talk about the possibility of Stallone’s wife being insane, product placement in the form of Alka-Seltzer, and why being able to drive a truck makes you smart.

[RyanSz 3140]

"I always wanted to be a milkshake!"

 

[JacobCorey 0]

Second dose of Stalone?

[JacobCorey 0]

Ohhh Because Sharknado popped up between these. Otherwise it woulda been a true double dose of Stalone

[ADoer 11]

JDR lasers - They become 'Hawks' when the father and son get together.

 

- and yep, the mom has to be in a crazy hospital "I have to go now" with the crazy-lady haircut.

 

This was one of THE best episodes and one of the greatest all-time horrible movies! HDTGM is blowing up!

[DanEngler 5249]

What exactly is an "arm wrestler"?

[Sheldon 1]

In case anyone is wondering it finished 4th behind Platoon, Outrageous Fortune, and Mannequin (!).

 

http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=1987&wknd=07a&p=.htm

[mattman92ish 823]

"I think I have a question about trucking..." fuck yes bobby is a fantastic guest! great movie choice for this..thanks HDTGM

[RobotsPJs 123]

I wish this was fake, but it is not. (Note: Last name Hawks)

 

[HeyTedBaxter 21]

Was saying "stop the presses" then talking audio books intentional or.....?

[jeffdacock 64]

Mike Hawk

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Was saying "stop the presses" then talking audio books intentional or.....?

Also, it's not any sort of honor for Audible to be your sponsor, because they'll let ANYONE run a train on them. I mean, I thought Stamps.com was a slut, but Audible's been giving up that ass for years and years and years...

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

In case anyone is wondering it finished 4th behind Platoon, Outrageous Fortune, and Mannequin (!).

 

http://boxofficemojo...wknd=07a&p=.htm

And that was "Outrageous Fortune" in it's third week! Aside from vaguely remembering that I saw every movie that was on Showtime from 1987-1991 or so, I wouldn't even know what "Outrageous Fortune" is!

[Jackson1326657838 105]

OMG Yes! I Love the gif!

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Hey, so how come in his action movies where he's a one-man army or a cop that (get this) plays by his own rules, Stallone is an unstoppable force of nature, but in his "serious" sports films, they always try to make him seem like the underdog, like he MAY not win, so they throw in some stupid rule to sway things in his favor in case he fucks up or finds himself nearly defeated, like the no TKO rule in "Rocky IV" (he LITERALLY gets knocked down like 128 times in one round) or the double elimination (double elimination, double elimination, double elimination...) rule in this?

 

Also, a sequel/reboot/re-imagining of this film would of course have to be called "THE Over the Top".

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Does Stallone's hat have different settings when he switches it, like that cyborg hillbilly with the dial in "Judge Dredd"?

[cmac94 191]

Before listening to this episode I read the wiki article for the movie since I'd never seen it. Wikipedia list everyone in the Hawk/Hawks family as "Lincoln Hawk(s), Christina Hawk(s), Michael Hawk(s)" Which I thought was really weird. Finding out that this movie really does swing between two last names escalated it from Pretty Garbage to Next Level Shit

[WEdidITagain 458]

Before listening to this episode I read the wiki article for the movie since I'd never seen it. Wikipedia list everyone in the Hawk/Hawks family as "Lincoln Hawk(s), Christina Hawk(s), Michael Hawk(s)" Which I thought was really weird. Finding out that this movie really does swing between two last names escalated it from Pretty Garbage to Next Level Shit

 

I literally couldn't believe this either.

[JustinL 216]

I think the movie with the kid from the arcade grown up should be comparable to The Hustler or The Color of Money where Mike has become a legend on the arm wrestling circuit (both street and professional) and the kid wants revenge. Having no other recourse, he becomes a truck driver with the same company Hawks worked for. The legend of Hawks and his now legendary son are a constant slap in the face, so he spends years conditioning himself to be the best arm wrestler there is. After numerous wins, he seems unbeatable. Cocky, he shows up at Hawks & Son and challenges Mike. Never having learned how to go "over the top," he is beaten handily.

 

Deciding to drown his sorrows in maple syrup, he goes to a local Waffle House to calm down. He falls for a waitress who's stuck in a rut and decides to ride with him. The movie follows them as they bond and fall in love. He forgets his hatred for Mike Hawks. Now he wants to marry her. But on his paltry trucker's salary, he doesn't even have enough for a decent ring. The girl starts to feel foolish; that they rushed into things. What was she thinking, quitting her job and running away with a stranger?! But Arcade Guy is gonna prove he can be a good provider. The Vegas arm wrestling tournament is coming up and he's gonna win it for her! A hundred grand and a brand new firetruck (for some reason)!

 

Arcade Guy enters the tournament...but so does Mike. Obviously, it comes down to the two of them. It's a rigorous match, but Arcade Guy wins! But something doesn't sit right: Mike never went "over the top." He asks Mike why he didn't use his best move, one he had never beaten. Wouldn't he have won if he had? "Maybe," says Mike, "Maybe not. Now don't you have someone to propose to?" He immediately buys his girl a ring, she says yes, and they drive off into the sunset in their new firetruck.

 

And his two cronies? Gay lovers. Moved to Massachusetts, got married and bought a split-level in the suburbs.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

This episode knocked it out of the park. Everyone was totally on their game, and this was probably the best audience ever; they all had really great questions and comments.

 

"Mike, that's taken? Oh well how about Mike1? No, okay, Mike2. Really? Alright, Mike3? What?"

 

[2 hours later]

 

"MIKE264? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

[bigicecream 75]

 

WHY IS THIS NOT TELEVISED ANYMORE?

[ADoer 11]

Definitely noticed - the audiences are now coming massively prepared and I sense they are JDR fanatics at heart. Love how HDTGM is rising to the challenge.

 

Was it Moynihan that pointed out (this I love) that supposing this massive arm-wrestling event has had similar grand prizes - the 5 Time unbeaten champ should have accrued approx. a half a million dollars and a trucking compound full of Kenworths by now.

 

I did find a self-redeeming quality - when I was a kid i thought this was the dumbest effing movie I had ever seen and even at that age could not quite figure out... so... he has to win an arm wrestling competition to ... keep his son?

From kidnappers or... huh?

Wouldn't you just phone the police?

I'm still not quite clear on this lol.. the son was being held for ransom? No? Just ... he just needed a new truck i guess?

[PhillipMedoc 648]

Was it Moynihan that pointed out (this I love) that supposing this massive arm-wrestling event has had similar grand prizes - the 5 Time unbeaten champ should have accrued approx. a half a million dollars and a trucking compound full of Kenworths by now.

First off, great user name!

 

And yes, I didn't even think about that during the movie. If this guy has half a million bucks and 5 amazing trucks which are also probably worth I don't know even how many thousands of dollars, where does it end? He needs therapy, not more arm wrestling trophies. And who is sponsoring these competitions? Is Alka-Seltzer ponying up $100k and a big rig every year?

[klemjohansen 748]

SPOILER ALERT: I have seen a draft script of Over The Tippy Top (aka Over The Top II) and it definitely needs to be made- if only as a direct-to-VHS release.

 

I was really surprised, though, because the script is super dark, guys. In the first act, Hawke(s) dies of an arm-wrestling disease like cancer of the wrist and, due to an unforeseeable traffic snarl, his corpse is two hours late to his own funeral. Typical Hawke and/or Hawkes!

 

Also, it becomes clear that Hawke(s)'s son had changed his name for obvious reasons to something less erotic like Mike Rotch. However, he writes reviews on Amazon under the name Mike1999. They establish a B plot featuring a love interest who buys him movies, but it isn't developed in this version of the script.

 

As a tribute to his late father, he goes out on the arm wrestling circuit in an attempt to bring glory to the Hawke or Hawkes name. Sadly, his arm-wrestling dreams die during a hideous radius-snapping tournament scene (yikes!). In the grip of melancholy, he gives up on everything and goes into gay porn under the unsubtle nom de plume My Cock.

 

Just when you think all is lost, our young hero hears that a group of suspiciously burly bearded men are gathering at a truck stop somewhere for what is being billed as a "winner take all" arm wrestling tournament cum and-all-be-all of human existence. In a last ditch effort to get his life back on track, he cruises by a nearby military school and kidnaps a child to cheer him on and cry during dramatic moments. Thankfully, all the implied molestation happens off camera.

 

Over. The. Tippy. Tippy. Top. Four stars!

[b4real25 3]

BTW Jason, Over the Top is NOT on Netflix Instant, unless you also get the DVDs.