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Tough Enough

Play trailer Poster for Tough Enough PG 1983 1h 46m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Singing honky-tonk tunes doesn't pay the family bills for Art Long (Dennis Quaid), so he decides to go where the money is: fighting. After winning his first bouts in a local Toughman contest, Art finds himself headed for the national championship. Winning would mean $100,000 and a new start. But does he have the skills to make it to the top? With his wife, Caroline (Carlene Watkins), and fight promoter James Neese (Warren Oates) by his side, Art's about to find out.

Critics Reviews

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Tough Enough never quite breaks out of its prizefight cliches, but it's fun anyway, and there are moments when it really works. Rated: 3/4 Nov 4, 2006 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A not so tough Rocky type of sports drama. Rated: C+ Oct 12, 2015 Full Review Chuck O'Leary FulvueDrive-in.com Tough Enough is a countrified Rocky wannabe that just isn't good enough. Rated: C- Dec 29, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member It's a hillbilly Rocky. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member This one's disappointing. It has everything going for it ... Dennis Quaid, Pam Grier, Warren Oates (in his final role), Wilford Brimley, Richard Fleisher directing ... and it's about country music and fighting and opens with a wet t shirt contest. It manages to do next to nothing with all this. It's all centered around the fighting and the fighting just isn't very good. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Struggling country singer earns dollars by entering a toughman competition. His music fortunes could be better guided by avoiding taking the stage after wet t-shirt contests; that and maybe a more dynamic name than Art Long. There are moments that work here. Quaid, to his credit, sings a number of songs in the film. Sadly, this was Warren Oates last film. Film was released against RETURN OF THE JEDI, and thus was largely forgotten. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member I should watch this again. MMA eat your heart out. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member this is a fantastic film must watch Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member <a href="http://cooltext.com"><img src="http://images.cooltext.com/2058625.png" alt="My Review" /></a></a> <b><i>"I get five thousand bucks if I win tomorrow night. See, preliminaries were tonight, and the finals are tomorrow night."</b></i> Meet Art Long. He was a family man, a singer, and unemployed...and about to become the toughest man in America. All he has to do to get everything he wants is knock down five different guys in one night as part of the televised Toughman Contest that would win him prize money and the chance to appear on national television. But is he tough enough for the challenge? Released on May 20, 1983, <i>Tough Enough</i> was one of the many little-seen movies that appeal to me even though I was only born four years after its release, therefore making one of the few youngest people knowing this one. But with a real good western theme and an appearance by Dennis Quaid who is one of my favorite actors, it is a movie that I couldn't ignore, since it was the latter that contributed to my viewing interest. The storyline here is action-packed for its fights, dramatic for surviving its struggles, and romantic for the relationship between the boxer and his wife. Quaid does his leading character as a skillful fighter with natural abilities as well as an artist with a voice that he was very impressive in his acting performance. <div style="width:345px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/photos/tough-enough-12243237"><img src="http://content7.flixster.com/photo/12/24/32/12243237_gal.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">Flixster</a> - Share Movies</div></div> Overall, I can say that <i>Tough Enough</i> is tough enough to be a <i>Rocky</i> clone but without rules and a great movie that packs a punch. I recommend it to fans of either or both sports (especially boxing) or Dennis Quaid. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Tough Enough

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Singing honky-tonk tunes doesn't pay the family bills for Art Long (Dennis Quaid), so he decides to go where the money is: fighting. After winning his first bouts in a local Toughman contest, Art finds himself headed for the national championship. Winning would mean $100,000 and a new start. But does he have the skills to make it to the top? With his wife, Caroline (Carlene Watkins), and fight promoter James Neese (Warren Oates) by his side, Art's about to find out.
Director
Richard Fleischer
Producer
William S. Gilmore
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Jul 3, 2012
Runtime
1h 46m