Sylvester Stallone has made some notoriously awful movies. This isone of them. 1987’s “Over the Top” is so remarkably bad andunintentionally funny that it’s a great movie to roast in “MysteryScience Theater 3000” fashion with a group of friends.

Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk, a truck driver and arm wrestler withtwo last names. In fact, it seems every truck driver in this movie isalso an arm wrestler with two last names (i.e. Bull Hurley). Hawk isreunited with his “so-annoying-you-want-to-kick-him-in-the-face” sonMichael and decides to bring him along on the majestic highways andbyways of America thus winning back his son’s affections.

But a Stallone movie isn’t a Stallone movie unless he gets togrunt unintelligibly and flex his muscles. He grunts-a-plenty duringthe action-packed arm-wrestling sequences, especially during theclimactic championship tournament where the grand prize is a bunch ofmoney and a shiny new truck.

Stallone also gets to flex his acting muscles which, in comparisonto his biceps, are puny. There is one scene in particular whereStallone delivers a monologue about the dual nature within every man.”When I turn my hat,” grunts Stallone, “It’s like a switch. I becomea different person, like a machine, like a truck.”

Not even Shakespeare himself could have written something morepoetic and truthful about human nature.

“Over the Top” is actually quite thought provoking. Uponsubsequent viewing of the movie, I find myself asking questions like,”What was Stallone thinking?” “Is this supposed to be serious?” “Do Iknow anyone with the first name Lincoln?” “Why do I like this movie?”

Wrestling fans: look for Terry Funk in a limited role as a toughieand bodyguard.

If you’re having a bad day, pop in “Over the Top” and I guaranteeit’ll put a smile on your face.

— Hubert Vigilla