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ACTOR
Cicely TysonPaul WinfieldLarry B. ScottHelen Martin
DIRECTOR
Ralph Nelson
SYNOPSICS
A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich (1978) is a English movie. Ralph Nelson has directed this movie. Cicely Tyson,Paul Winfield,Larry B. Scott,Helen Martin are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1978. A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich (1978) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
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A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich (1978) Reviews
Worth seeing for those interested in black heritage, kind of depressing
13-year-old Benjie lives in a bad neighborhood in Los Angeles with his mother Sweets and her boyfriend Butler, who wants to play the saxophone for a living but has to get a real job as a janitor to pay the bills. Benjie's grandmother also lives with them. His mother and grandmother care about him, and Butler seems to want to. Benjie appears intelligent, and at the very least he is street smart. He has the ability to write, but doesn't seem to want to work hard to reach his full potential. He and his friends like to go up on the roof of an abandoned building and smoke (just what they are smoking I'm not sure). Eventually the young men discover something worse than smoking. Benjie doesn't like Butler, who wants to try to be his father. For someone who isn't married to the boy's mother, he sure attempts to be strict, and a couple of times he comes close to going overboard. But the young man needs someone to keep him straight, or he may end up in prison or dead. That's the way this neighborhood is. The movie's title reflects the fact that Benjie does not see a lot of what he considers positive influences (even though his family tries). Because there often seems to be little hope and because Benjie makes mistakes, the movie is depressing at times, and at one point I wondered how there could possibly be a happy ending, or if there was going to be one. A near-tragedy toward the end, though, helped make everything seem like it was going to be all right. I thought pretty much everyone gave a good performance. This is a movie for anyone who cares about black heritage, though it may be a little too intense for young children. One of the best things about the movie was Glynn Turman's performance as Nigeria, an outgoing, motivated teacher who tried to make black achievement something special, teaching his students all about the men and women of color who contributed to our society, in much the same way 'Black History Month' does now. Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson did very well also. There were a few funny moments, such as when Benjie bought a suit that would look just perfect on a stage in Las Vegas, or perhaps a used car lot. In the same scene, Benjie's grandmother showed how she used to dance. The music was really good. With the opening credits there was jazz-influenced R & B with violins (really nice), and most of the other music seemed to be some type of jazz. This movie was chosen to be an African Heritage Network Monthly Movie Classic, which is usually a good sign. I thought it was worthwhile. Possible SPOILER: When Benjie had to go to drug rehab, his experiences were shown through a series of sepia-tone photographs. This was very effective in showing Benjie's progress. With facial expressions, a wide range of emotions could be seen, from the terror of withdrawal to the joy of interacting with others.
A Timeless and heartwarming family film
A timeless lesser known film from the 1970's. Its true this film was made over 27 years ago but the storyline subject matter is more relevant today than ever. Its a shame that many do not have the opportunity of viewing this film. I recommend this film to anyone who wants to understand on how drug abuse can affect your family and friends. Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield performance was very warm, heart felt and exceptional. It is amazing on how they co-starred many films together. Its like the perfect combination on how to balance out character film development. I saw this film when I was younger and now I have viewed it with my children. There needs to more films like this to help families that have been victimized by drug abuse.
Realistic, Excellent, Gritty
~10 Stars! This is an excellent portrait of a family in the ghetto just trying to make it, with many temptations along the way including drugs & crime. Larry B. Scott does a fantastic portrayal of "Benjie"--a good student turned junkie. He sure shows a great acting range, in a role that would be tough for anyone to play, let alone a teenager. I would love to see Scott in more roles. Of course, Cicely Tyson is wonderful as his caring mother & also Paul Winfield as his "stepfather." A special notice should also go to Helen Martin (of 227 & also Good Times fame, as Wanda). All in all, a realistic film about a family dealing with some very tough & trying issues.
I CANNOT rate this lower and I CHECKED!
Before I put in any spoiler information let me say, This movie SUCKS! Let me put this another way. I am not sure who I am more upset at. Myself for requesting this DVD from another library, the 2nd library (Skokie Illinois) for honoring my request and sending it to my library, or the Arlington Heights library for accepting the tainted DVD and letting me check it out. We have to protect or youth. There HAS to BE checks and balances somewhere!!! LOL I remember Esther Rolle and John Amos had a problem while acting on GOOD TIMES TV show. Their contention was GOOD TIMES aired negative stereotypes. Well, J.J Evans (Mr. Dynamite) looks like Barack Obama AND his WHOLE family when compared to ANY character in this HERO film. And that is the SPOILER! I am in my late 40's, Black, and live in a White neighborhood. (whole life.) I am saying this because I realize that some people's ONLY exposure to other cultures is the movies and television. In other words, they BELIEVE this CRAP shown in HERO. I am going to do everyone a favor and not list the "issues" I have with this film. I am thinking Cicely Tyson needed to get paid and said, "What the hell. Why not.) I am not mad at her. Instead I would like to leave you with this on this fine March 2015 night. GOOGLE... #1) The Richest Black Man in the World – Aliko Dangote! This guy is from...wait for it...wait for it....NIGERIA! Yes, that same Nigeria. No one on the African continent even has $10 billion and he has 25 Billion! (Subject to change) LOL I do not know if that fact is important or not, but at least it got me to stop complaining about the HERO film.