“So you think you’re Tough Enough?” Art Long (Dennis Quaid) finds that when you’re trying to support a wife (Carlene Watkins) and kid singing country music, it’s hard out there for a troubadour. The local “Tough Man” contest offers a chance to put some food on the table with its $5,000 prize, and promoter James Neese (Warren Oates) sees Quaid as “a bank on wheels,” dubbing him “The Country Western Warrior.” The fighters look like rejects from Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out game, but his friend P.T. Coolidge (Stan Shaw) provides sage advice from Quaid’s corner, “Get off the ropes! Get off the ropes! Get off the floor! Get off the floor!” As Warren Oates works his promotional magic like P.T. Barnum in his last feature film release, Quaid will have to decide between being the “Country Western Warrior,” or a country western singer. Pam Grier, Bruce McGill, Wilford Brimley and Fran Ryan round-out the stellar cast.
“It really works.” – Roger Ebert
