Unidos para Vencer

I just got done watching this movie on Television with my 2 children a boy who is 5 and a girl who is 7, and feel it is a wonderful family movie. My children asked if we could buy it. I remembered watching this movie when it first came out. I was about 17 at the time, and I liked it then too. It is similar to Karate Kid, but I enjoy the twist of the kid daydreaming and overcoming is asthma. This movie sends a wonderful message to children: it shows them that having an illness doesn't mean they can't be "normal", it also teaches them how to gain control of their anger and channel it into something good, and like the Karate kid it shows that being a bully never pays off. Furthermore, it shows kids that it's "normal" to daydream and don't let others tease you and push you around because you are different; all it takes is a little hard work and determination and you can find something you are good at.

The great thing about this film, and yes it is indeed a great thing, is that it knows it is corny. It is well-cast, and it maintains a great sense of humor throughout the story. As far as Barry's dreams being too violent for a kid to be having, are you joking?!? Our society today is becoming so numb to violence,and often it film it is gratuitous. But in this film it's more slap stick humor than anything else. You can't compare this to any other Chuck Norris film. It is a genre all it's own. I saw this film as a kid and recently it was on Encore and I watched it again and had a great time. Taken for what it's worth, this film will make you do a happy dance.

This movie is a good one for Jonathan Brandis. His acting is good, and so is the way he plays his part. This movie really brings out the way Chuck Norris deals with kids in his movies. He spends the movie as an imaginary friend to Brandis, who is finding junior high life hard. "Norris" teaches him discipline and how to deal with bullies.

This is definitely not the usual Chuck Norris movie, as you can see from the cover. In his other movies, he usually plays some kind of heavy duty hitman with lots of weapons and sometimes armor. This time he has none of that. He is just a low-key character, and even when he finally fights Joe Piscopo in the end, he acts like he is just trying to show Brandis how its done.

Sidekicks is a pretty entertaining little film about a young, asthmatic boy who, in his imagination, is the sidekick to his hero, Chuck Norris. Barry, the kid (Brandis) is taught martial arts by his teacher's uncle (Mako). The story culminates with an exciting martial arts exhibition where Barry meets his idol, Chuck Norris, who agrees to help the boy in the competition.

A wish-fullfilment movie in the juvenile sense. Although Chuck has definitely had his day, the idea of meeting and being helped by your fantasy hero, is good fodder for a kids film like this. Some people will probably quibble at the occasional silliness (Richard Moll's ridiculous gym teacher, and Piscopo's over-the-top bad guy karate teacher, to name a few), as well as the obvious self-promotion for Chuck Norris, but I think that the fantasy of the film will work itself over it's intended audience, who should enjoy this little treat of a movie.

Aaron's firmly in the driver's seat while brother Chuck lays down the action yet again in this enjoyable and harmless action romp, a re-hash of The Karate Kid only less involved and played mainly for laughs. Brandis is the asthma-induced child who dreams of fighting alongside his screen hero Chuck Norris. Mako plays loveable sage Mr. Lee who teaches the kid a little confidence and karate and soon enough his dreams form reality as the man himself soon turns up in the flesh at a martial arts tournament. Tame and undemanding, Sidekicks is an idle gem that whiles the hours away.