A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich (1977) User Reviews (8)

Don't accept that freebie. It could mean the beginning of a short life.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 4 January 2022]

That's how you create addicts. Show them how good it feels while they're young and vulnerable, no matter how street smart they claim to be. And here, the drug is heroin, probably one the worst of the street drugs eever to destroy young lives. And here, it's a 13 year old, Larry B. Scott, living with his mother Cicely Tyson and her boyfriend Paul Winfield, and dealing with the struggles of life in South Central L. A. Scott admits to his best friend that it's easier to reject the attentions all the possible stepfather to be because men always leave, and that's easier to deal with than being hurt.

Scott's best pal is the bigger Joey Green who doesn't want to touch the stuff offered to them first for $2 and then for free, knowing that it's bad, and the dealers threaten to beat him up before kicking him out. Watching young Scott do this stuff is painful because you know where it's going to lead, and for a 13 year old actor, that's an incredible project to take on. Amazing that this young man would go on to play the flamboyant Lamar in "Revenge of the Nerds", the black gay college student with a heart of gold.

The presence of David Groh ("Rhoda") as a white English teacher in a practically all black school also adds some racial discussions with the presence of fellow teacher Glynn Turman that are very thought-provoking. It brings out the questions of racism and prejudices in all of the equations, and unfortunately, no answers are given. Helen Martin is always a welcome present, playing Tyson's loving mother, seen being brutally mugged and beaten up early in the film. Winfield is quite different than he was in "Sounder", quite a player and a bit of a phony. It's not exactly a flattering character, but he plays it very well.

But the story is about Benjie (Scott) who does all of the predictable things to get money so he can get the drugs, and how he is charmed by the pusher is disturbing to watch. The Academy Awards used to honor the best in juvenal performances, and Scotts Performance certainly would be up there with actors from the golden age that one, Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.

It's a very difficult film to watch but extremely well acted and realistic, certainly not one you'd see on TV as a movie of the week. The acting is so real that's your really feel you are witnessing a camera on the street filming the situation as it happened, and this film truly stands the march of time in sadly not being dated outside of the fact that different street drugs has taken over and are probably easier to get now then they were and this was made 45 years ago.

Worth seeing for those interested in black heritage, kind of depressing

[vchimpanzee · 14 October 2003]

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

[stevbull · 10/10 · 22 June 2005]

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

[MarilynCH · 10/10 · 16 June 2005]

~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!

[montel111 · 1/10 · 16 March 2015]

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.

there's no escape from what's in the environs

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 14 January 2021]

"A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich" is a look at a boy in South Central LA and the lure of heroin. Although it might seem like a kids' movie, there's some gritty stuff here. Not just the drug usage, but also the reaction from the adults in the boy's life. It just goes to show that life in the ghetto doesn't let you escape the rough things; conditions only worsened in successive years.

In addition to the fine performances from Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield (who later appeared in "The Terminator"), newcomer Larry B. Scott does well in his role (he later played one of the nerds in "Revenge of the Nerds").

A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich

[BandSAboutMovies · 3/10 · 30 March 2023]

The last theatrical film of Ralph Nelson (Charly, Lillies of the Field), the screenplay for this film came from the author of the book that it's based on, Alice Childress. It's all about teenager Benjie (Larry B. Scott), who goes from marijuana to heroin and nearly dropping not just out of school, but life itself. Can his family - mother Sweets (Cicely Tyson), grandmother Mrs. Bell (Helen Martin) and replacement father figure Butler (Paul Winfield) - save him?

This is a movie that tries so much, presenting a story about drug use, a story about black men losing their fathers, about how black men and the education system don't mix well, about a young black couple trying to make things work and build a family, all within one story that really wants to do well but keeps trying, as I said, too much in too little time.

That said, the cast is beyond likable and if this were a series, this could have adjusted and been all of those things. It's preachy, sure, but it has the right message from a heart that is in the proper place.

Hea-vy

[view_and_review · 9/10 · 30 November 2019]

Let me exhale here for a bit. This movie was heavy. I could barely stand the weight of it, it was so heavy.

Let me get the accolades out of the way.

The script. Great. Cicely Tyson. Solid. Paul Winfield. Excellent. Larry B. Scott (whom I'd only known as Lamar in Revenge of the Nerds). Spectacular. He easily rivaled the performance of Timothy Hutton who won an Oscar for his role in Ordinary People.

This was a deep movie dealing with drug use in South Central Los Angeles. But it was more than that though wasn't it? At the forefront was a 13-year-old Benjie (Larry B. Scott) who's method of dealing with being fatherless was turning to hard drugs. There's little sadder than a kid strung out on drugs.

The backdrop to that was his mother's boyfriend, Butler (Paul Winfield), trying his best to fill the father void while constantly being rebuffed by Benjie. Sweets (Cicely Tyson), Benjie's mother, was trying desperately to maintain a relationship with her son as well as her partner Butler.

And behind all of that was an environment of social justice as Black folks in the ghetto struggled to carve a niche out for themselves while fighting drugs, crime, and the man.

All of these plot elements plus the magnificent performances made for an awesome movie. It is jarring most times, angering other times, and down right sad sometimes. The moments of levity are few and far in between. You'll beg for a happy ending while realizing that what brings happiness is relative.