Parents' Guide to

The Strongest Man in the World

By Joly Herman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Dexter Riley trilogy falls flat in its final installment.

Movie G 1975 92 minutes
The Strongest Man in the World Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 10+

Based on 3 parent reviews

bigmoviefan2020
bigmoviefan2020 Adult
November 25, 2020
age 15+

Laugh up joke/hoax of a movie is one of the BEST I saw

PG-13: brief mild emtional elements
madame pierre
madame pierre Parent of 5 and 8-year-old
September 19, 2020
age 5+

Some giggles

My kids liked the old fashioned effects and the silly humor. It was fun and played along the expected underdog story. In line with other Disney movies of the time, it’s mostly a white-man’s world, with a sprinkling of stereotypes. (A scene with a Chinese man using acupuncture to hypnotize is a little cringe worthy). There is not a lot of character development, so it depends on basic tropes (flaky stoner type, handsome guy, matriarch head of a business, bungling dean, overly confident competitor). Even though it was dated, the basic comedic elements are enduring. Zany and fun humor never go out of style.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) and his pals have been working in the science lab at Medfield College making vitamin-rich feed for a cow named Ruthie Bell to help her gain weight and produce more milk. Dean Higgins (Joe Flynn) discovers the cost of their experiments and shuts their lab down, firing their favorite teacher. Then, quite by accident, Dexter eats a bowl of the cereal laced with the strength formula, and before you can say Snap, Crackle, Pop he finds he has supernatural strength. Dean Higgins brings the formula to a cereal company, and the stealing of secrets and scheming ensue in this mid-70's caper.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (1):

Not as strong as the other two films in the Dexter Riley series, this one spends more time characterizing the buffoonery of adults than paying attention to the kids who are watching the film. In fact, Kurt Russell spends less time on-screen than his many co-stars. Modern day kids might be bored by the lame special effects and the many minutes spent in board meetings with old white men.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether foods like breakfast cereals can really do everything that they promise. What other kinds of products make such lofty promises? Is Dexter cheating when he takes the strength formula before he performs in the weight-lifting contest?

Movie Details

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