At Medfield College, Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) is put on notice by the regents that he has 30 days to turn Medfield around or he'll be removed and replaced. Meanwhile, Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) now using the University's creative lab to work on a strength formula developed by his friend Richard Schuyler(Michael McGreevey). Following an accident the formula starts working successfully. Higgins sees the formula as a way of securing the shool's financial situation and securing his job, and partners with a cereal company to sponsor the school in a weightlifting contest thanks to the formulas work with the cereal. Rival cereal magnate, Kirwood Krinkle (Phil Silvers) gets wind of the strength formula via hs corporate spies and hires crook A. J. Arno (Caesar Romero) recently paroled paroled again to steal the formula.
The third and final film in the Dexter Riley series, The Strongest Man in the World not only marks the end of this particular film series, but marks the last role for Kurt Russell in a Disney project save for his appearance in The Survival of Sam the Pelican on the Wonderful World of Disney before he transitioned to television to try and break out from his Disney persona. Like the previous two films, the movie follows hapless but good natured simp, Dexter Riley, accidentally discovering some miracle formula or ability and proving the basis for achieving whatever financially motivated macguffin is on Dean Higgins mind at the time. The formula is WELL past worn at this point as we follow the familiar plot beats and gimmicks established in the series to a T, except now Dexter Riley is noticeably absent for almost 60% of the movie(which was allegedly a condition by Russell).
This time around series director Robert Butler leaves the director's chair for Vincent McEveety director of lesser Disney flicks like Superdad and Million Dollar Duck (which was one of three movies Gene Siskel infamously walked out on besides Maniac and Black Sheep). Butler's presence is definite felt as the improvements in previous entry Now You See Him, Now You Don't are basically all but forgotten and regressed to the standards set in the first entry The Computer Wore Tennis Shoe's. While I wasn't a fan of Computer Wore Tennis Shoe's it at least felt like it had focus and direction even if it still ended up feeling like an extended sitcom pilot. Here however, the focus hopscotches around from one set of character actors to another with many obvious telegraphed gags or long sequences that o on just shy of forever such as a scene where Dean Higgins demonstrates his strength that is a comedic graveyard where the joke is him doing strength based feats and that's it, there are some visual references to things like the Steve Reeves Hercules or usage of music "Man on the Flying Trapeze" but these references seem to be the joke in and of themselves and there's no added friction to them. Then we have a cringe inducing Chinatown sequence that's just....odd. It's not brazenly offensive or anything it's just yet another sequence where I don't know what the joke is, there's some stuff involving hypnosis but there's nothing about it that makes it all the amusing and it plays more awkward and slow than farcical or funny.
The Strongest Man in the World is a very tired movie, the fact that Kurt Russell is absent for so much shows the filmmakers and possibly Russell himself knew there wasn't anywhere else this character or series could go, and it has the feeling and atmosphere of something that screams "contractual obligation". From its predictable formula to its scattershot focus this is easily the weakest entry in the Dexter Riley series.
The third and final film in the Dexter Riley series, The Strongest Man in the World not only marks the end of this particular film series, but marks the last role for Kurt Russell in a Disney project save for his appearance in The Survival of Sam the Pelican on the Wonderful World of Disney before he transitioned to television to try and break out from his Disney persona. Like the previous two films, the movie follows hapless but good natured simp, Dexter Riley, accidentally discovering some miracle formula or ability and proving the basis for achieving whatever financially motivated macguffin is on Dean Higgins mind at the time. The formula is WELL past worn at this point as we follow the familiar plot beats and gimmicks established in the series to a T, except now Dexter Riley is noticeably absent for almost 60% of the movie(which was allegedly a condition by Russell).
This time around series director Robert Butler leaves the director's chair for Vincent McEveety director of lesser Disney flicks like Superdad and Million Dollar Duck (which was one of three movies Gene Siskel infamously walked out on besides Maniac and Black Sheep). Butler's presence is definite felt as the improvements in previous entry Now You See Him, Now You Don't are basically all but forgotten and regressed to the standards set in the first entry The Computer Wore Tennis Shoe's. While I wasn't a fan of Computer Wore Tennis Shoe's it at least felt like it had focus and direction even if it still ended up feeling like an extended sitcom pilot. Here however, the focus hopscotches around from one set of character actors to another with many obvious telegraphed gags or long sequences that o on just shy of forever such as a scene where Dean Higgins demonstrates his strength that is a comedic graveyard where the joke is him doing strength based feats and that's it, there are some visual references to things like the Steve Reeves Hercules or usage of music "Man on the Flying Trapeze" but these references seem to be the joke in and of themselves and there's no added friction to them. Then we have a cringe inducing Chinatown sequence that's just....odd. It's not brazenly offensive or anything it's just yet another sequence where I don't know what the joke is, there's some stuff involving hypnosis but there's nothing about it that makes it all the amusing and it plays more awkward and slow than farcical or funny.
The Strongest Man in the World is a very tired movie, the fact that Kurt Russell is absent for so much shows the filmmakers and possibly Russell himself knew there wasn't anywhere else this character or series could go, and it has the feeling and atmosphere of something that screams "contractual obligation". From its predictable formula to its scattershot focus this is easily the weakest entry in the Dexter Riley series.