A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich is a 1977 film directed by Ralph Nelson about a black junior high school student who becomes a heroin addict.
Benjie appears to be well adjusted, living in a decent house with a loving family, getting good grades in school, and spending time with his friends Jimmy Lee and Carwell.
However, internally he struggles with the pain of being abandoned by his biological father, his mixed feelings about Sweets and Butler, and a growing awareness of racism in society.
After a violent confrontation with Butler over his behavior, Benjie nods out at school and is sent to a drug rehabilitation hospital, where he undergoes therapy to learn to honestly express his suppressed thoughts and feelings.
[2] Jaqueline Trescott of The Washington Post felt similarly saying: ""Sandwich," now playing at several area theaters, becomes a prime social statement film of the restless high school assembly but not the riveting exploration of contemporary life its outline suggests for the mass audience.