Be Somebody... or Be Somebody's Fool!

"Hey you, you with the teeth"...any film beginning with the incomparable Mr. T addressing you in such a way can safely be deemed a classic. If you haven't yet had the privilege of seeing "Be Somebody", your life is sadly incomplete. "T" solves all of the social ills plaguing, not just the youth of the 80's, but all of mankind in only 52 minutes; can you think of anyone else who could do that? The mere suggestion is "absiludicrous".

Parents, there is no doubt that you want your children to grow up to be somebody. Do them the ultimate favor, show them that you truly love them, and watch this video together as a family. Remember, if you don't, they may wind up being someone's fool.

I discovered this film in High School. My folks were out of town, and my friends were at the house. I'm sure we were up to no good. Then it happened. Randy showed up with this video and said that we had to watch it. Growing up in the eighties, we all had a pre-existing place in our heart for Mr. T, so we were game. The tape started to roll, and then we started to roll. Man, it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. Being the creative bunch of musicians that we were, we decided to start a tribute band. What better name for the band than "Mr. T's Be Somebody Or Be Somebody's Fool"? So there it was, we learned all the songs from the movie, and went for it. We were pretty serious too. We would rehearse twice a week, and play shows regularly. We even had matching t-shirts made with the movie's poster on the front.

Those were some good times, inspired by a life changing film.

Thanks Mr. T! And remember: "Everyone's gotta wear clothes. If they don't, they could get arrested".

Next to Caddyshack, the Blues Brothers, Animal House, and most of the early stuff from John Hughes, this might be the most comedically entertaining films to date. Not only does it feature one of the greatest human beings ever to live, but, unlike most films released in modern Hollywood... this piece has a fairly legitimate moral(actually, several of them). The one thing that sets this cinematic masterpiece apart from the group mentioned above, is, that for the most part, "Be Somebody, Or Be Somebody's Fool" wasn't created to be intentionally funny... it just kind of turned out to be what it is through clever evolution... which gives the consumer a reaction that is violently side-slitting (that's a good thing). The scenes are perfect, the quotes are memorable, and the acting isn't that great, but that didn't really bother me, since I was laughing to hard to notice. As I close, I'm going stray from the normal tendency of others reviewers on this page, by not attempting to describe any of the scenes in this delightful little PSA from the early eighties. Instead, with genuine sincerity, I'm going to urge anyone who hasn't seen this gem to do so immediately.... Otherwise, you are never going to experience the supreme sensation of pure un-adult

There are a thousand things I could say about this film. Mr. T is cool. This video teaches values and will show the young'ns the right way towards life. Through many song and dance routines, Mr. T enhances the way of living for all that watch. Mr.T was heckuva break dancin' . How does his neck support dem chains? This is one T-riffic movie!

Although all agree that this movie is hysterically funny and not to be missed, I am compelled to defend it from the implication that it's one of those "So-bad-it's-good" movies, a la Showgirls or the one where Rupert Everett gets Madonna pregnant. When the video started rolling, I was really ready to make fun of Mr. T, to suggest he was on drugs when he filmed this, or that he had to make it to pay off gambling debts, but this movie is truly good, good lessons, good feelings, good attitudes, good fun. I just ordered 4 copies: one for me, 2 for gifts for friends, and one to keep around for whomever might need it. I only hope that more people find out about it so it can get the recognition it deserves, and so that more people (especially kids) will be exposed to Mr. T's lessons of self-esteem, his perpetually hopeful spirit and his silly sense of humor.