A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich

I recently watched A Hero Ain't Nothing but a Sandwich (1977) on Prime. The story follows a young boy living on the streets of New York who becomes addicted to heroin. His mother and stepfather try to guide him toward a better path, but his struggles threaten to tear the family apart.

Directed by Ralph Nelson (Lilies of the Field), the film stars Cicely Tyson (The Help), Paul Winfield (The Terminator), Larry Scott (Revenge of the Nerds), Helen Martin (Death Wish), Glynn Turman (Gremlins), and Bill Cobbs (Demolition Man).

This movie is outstanding in nearly every way. The cast is phenomenal, with each actor perfectly suited to their role. The writing is excellent-capturing the nuances of addiction, family tension, and the broader social challenges with striking authenticity. Every scene feels vital, and the drug-use sequences are especially painful to watch, heightened by how young the characters are.

The film's themes and emotional weight reminded me of Crooklyn-particularly in the portrayal of family dynamics, character development, and the hardships of parenthood. The ending is both brilliant and brutally realistic.

In conclusion, A Hero Ain't Nothing but a Sandwich is an underrated masterpiece. I give it a 9/10 and strongly recommend it.

"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").

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.

~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.

Even though I'm a film buff, 70s movies are one of my least favourite eras of film. I've watched some 70s movies throughout my life and I never enjoyed them. I had yet to like any 70s movies until now.

The logline of "A Hero Ain't Nothing But a Sandwich" caught my attention enough to add the film to my prime video watchlist. I just finished watching this movie and I found myself engrossed in this film. The main plot is about a 13 year old boy who becomes addicted to heroin, he has people in his life who he loves and who loves him, yet drug addiction can easily outweigh love.

Decent writing, well-acted directed and edited. The pacing of this film is perfect and I never got bored viewing this. This film is a realistic depiction of how young people can easily become addicted to drugs.

This movie does a good job of being unpredictable. As a film buff who has guessed hundreds of turnings in movies as a result of many films being predictable, I had no idea how this movie would end and what would happen from one moment to the next.

I rate this film a 9 out of 10 instead of 10 out of 10 as I don't find this movie to be rewatchable, even though i like this film. And as a film buff - I like to rewatch movies.

If you like drama movies with realistic storylines, I recommend "A Hero Ain't Nothing But a Sandwich".