A dishonest businessman asks rich layabout Craig Blake to help him buy a gym, which will be demolished for a development project in Alabama. But after spending time with weightlifter Joe Santo and gym worker Mary Tate Farnsworth, Craig wants out of the deal. The property negotiations turn ugly, causing a brawl at the gym and a spectacle at a big bodybuilding meet, as Craig learns that it's not easy to turn your back on fair-weather friends.
A dishonest businessman asks rich layabout Craig Blake to help him buy a gym, which will be demolished for a development project in Alabama. But after spending time with weightlifter Joe Santo and gym worker Mary Tate Farnsworth, Craig wants out of the deal. The property negotiations turn ugly, causing a brawl at the gym and a spectacle at a big bodybuilding meet, as Craig learns that it's not easy to turn your back on fair-weather friends.
The film explores a wealthy young man's search for identity and purpose by immersing himself in the world of bodybuilding, offering an individualistic solution to personal ennui rather than a political critique or call for systemic change, resulting in a neutral rating.
The movie features a predominantly white main cast, reflecting the era and setting without intentional DEI-driven casting. Its narrative explores themes of masculinity and identity through its characters, maintaining a neutral to positive framing of traditional identities without explicit critique or central DEI themes.
Stay Hungry features strong homoerotic subtext within its portrayal of the bodybuilding world and male relationships. While not explicitly depicting LGBTQ+ characters or themes, it explores non-normative masculinity and identity, offering a nuanced, albeit implicit, presence without strong affirmation or denigration.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The 1976 film "Stay Hungry" is an adaptation of Charles Gaines' 1972 novel. A review of the main characters in both the source material and the film reveals no instances where a character's gender was changed from the novel to the screen adaptation.
Based on the source novel and the film's casting, there is no indication that any character canonically or historically established as one race was portrayed by an actor of a different race.
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources