The Toughest Man in the World (1984)
Nomination Year: 2016
SYNOPSIS: Was there ever any surprise that The Toughest Man In The
World was Mr. T? No, not really.
Was there any surprise that The Toughest Man In The World is a made-for-TV movie? No, not really.
At least it's not an ABC After-School Special. It is about the quality of ABC After-School Specials, and I mean that as an odd sort of compliment. The gritty street vibe is at least marginally believable.
T does the theme song ("The Toughest Man In The World") himself, and I for one would not step to T as a rapper -- even if T's best dis is probably "yo mama so worried about you that she called in me! So stay off the streets and get back to school!"
Plot? Yeah, there is one. T is a bouncer at a club, but spends his leisure time helping a bunch of neighborhood youths stay off the street by playing in neighborhood basketball.
The city budget is cut, and the community center is on the chopping block. But T can get enough money to run it for a while if he wins The Toughest Man in the World competition.
Yeah, there are subplots with an attractive woman, a group of gangsters that want to dope T up, and an at-risk youth that he is specifically attempting to mentor, but I suspect they wrote the book after watching this film (instead of writing the film by the book).
There is one surprise. One big shocker. And it's that T can act. Or at least he conveys subtle emotions with nuance, and doesn't just holler everything in a gruff fashion.
And that, I admit, is a relief.
Was there any surprise that The Toughest Man In The World is a made-for-TV movie? No, not really.
At least it's not an ABC After-School Special. It is about the quality of ABC After-School Specials, and I mean that as an odd sort of compliment. The gritty street vibe is at least marginally believable.
T does the theme song ("The Toughest Man In The World") himself, and I for one would not step to T as a rapper -- even if T's best dis is probably "yo mama so worried about you that she called in me! So stay off the streets and get back to school!"
Plot? Yeah, there is one. T is a bouncer at a club, but spends his leisure time helping a bunch of neighborhood youths stay off the street by playing in neighborhood basketball.
The city budget is cut, and the community center is on the chopping block. But T can get enough money to run it for a while if he wins The Toughest Man in the World competition.
Yeah, there are subplots with an attractive woman, a group of gangsters that want to dope T up, and an at-risk youth that he is specifically attempting to mentor, but I suspect they wrote the book after watching this film (instead of writing the film by the book).
There is one surprise. One big shocker. And it's that T can act. Or at least he conveys subtle emotions with nuance, and doesn't just holler everything in a gruff fashion.
And that, I admit, is a relief.
Kevin Hogan
Dick Lowry
