RockyNobody just becomes great; they have to grab greatness for themselves. Rocky is a classic underdog story about a small-time boxer named Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a.k.a. "The Italian Stallion", who scrapes by day to day, going nowhere. When heavyweight boxing world champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), has to spin the loss of his former opponent for a bicentennial match in which he's already heavily invested, he picks out Rocky--the unlikely "everyman"--to be his opponent. Rocky discovers that if he has any hope of "going the distance" of fifteen rounds against Creed, he must devote himself--body and soul--to becoming a lean, mean, fighting machine.
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Also written by Sylvester Stallone, Rocky was something of a sleeper hit when it debuted in 1976, but went on to become one of the most successful films of the year--critically and commercially--and even won the Oscar for Best Picture. Made on a comparably small budget of one million dollars, the film launched a franchise of films and became a cultural phenomenon. Scenes and lines of dialogue from Rocky have been absorbed into the cultural zeitgeist, like Rocky tenderizing meat with his fists, or the famous training montage culminating in his triumphant ascent of steps outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The story of Rocky is that a local boy from the neighborhood makes it big when no one is paying attention; this could also be said of its lead actor, whose career skyrocketed after the success of this film, leaving in the dust a past of supporting roles, and commanding top billing for years. Rocky Balboa is a sympathetic protagonist because he is a kind person--if a bit dim at times--and is a "blue collar hero". Rocky has no interest in hurting anyone outside of the ring, even though he has to pay his bills by shaking down deadbeat gamblers for a local bookie named Tony Gazzo (Joe Spinell). Rocky is an animal lover and keeps a pair of domesticated turtles as pets; it's pretty clear that he adopted them as an excuse to get to know Adrian (Talia Shire), the woman who works at the pet store. Adrian is a mousy little thing who is so shy that she can barely make eye contact with Rocky when he tries to make conversation with her, fumbling with his awkward jokes. Rocky's attraction to Adrian is important in motivating him to train to his fullest and face his intimidating opponent in the ring. Rocky has been making excuses to avoid getting anything substantial out of his life, stuck busting his forehead open in a small-time boxing match at the start of the film, or running around for Gazzo while enduring his lackey's abuse. He lives in a apartment that stinks by his own admission, and Mickey (Burgess Meredith), the manager at the gym where he trains, has lost patience with Rocky's complacent attitude at being mediocre, kicking him out of his locker of six years to give it to a "real" contender. But Rocky's first step at getting what he wants is through Adrian; it is ironic that a man willing to get into a ring and get slugged over and over finds it so hard to ask a shy girl out on a date. When he does, he makes his feelings abundantly clear, and he and Adrian fall for one another. This brave first step motivates him to accept Mickey's invitation to be his manager after Creed offers Rocky the challenger's spot in the championship match.
The sensationalized match between Apollo Creed is set in the nation's first capital, and the match is decked out in red, white, and blue--as it is with Apollo when he enters the ring in an outrageously ostentatious display. Apollo Creed looks less like a professional pugilist than an entertainer--a proto-WWE personality, who dances around with showmanship in the ring and gives stale platitudes to kids about "staying in school" during his interviews. Although Rocky is offered a shot at stardom through Apollo Creed's invitation, Creed is essentially an unlikable antagonist because he is so arrogant and self-aggrandizing. One scene that underscores this comes when his own manager, Tony "Duke" Evers (Tony Burton), watches an interview with Rocky--the one that has him fervently punching a side of beef until his fists are covered in blood. Duke invites Apollo to see what his tenacious opponent is doing, but he is too involved in a conversation about marketing strategies and international distribution to pay attention. This attitude cements the audience's identification with Rocky, who is far more down to earth and serious about the fight. The Philadelphia in Rocky is really Rocky's world; he lives in a poor urban neighborhood, and is friends with many of the locals. When Rocky jogs through the streets of Philly, it is like a an insider look at the City of Brotherly Love. He runs before dawn as the newspaper delivery trucks are making their rounds. He runs through the streets where vendors sell their produce, tossing him a fruit as he passes by. He runs and pushes himself as he passes by the wharf, with the large ships behind him. Rocky's world is one filled with friends and acquaintances, though his family is nowhere to be seen; Paulie (Burt Young) and Adrian are the closest he has to a real family. Rocky and Adrian's first date (on Thanksgiving, no less) almost turns disastrous from the start, but when he bribes a zamboni driver to let them go out on the ice skating rink, he starts to open up to her. He tells her that the reason he fights was because his father claimed he wasn't smart enough; Adrian commiserates by saying that her mother claimed just the opposite--that she wasn't pretty enough, so she should use her brain instead. The traumas they share help them complete one another; it is an unhealed wound that explains Rocky's self-esteem issues and reluctance to push himself...after all, a man who doesn't try can't fail. Rocky also sees a kind of father figure in Mickey; when he kicks him out of his own locker, it is like his dad is throwing him out. When Mickey later offers to manage him--after Creed's lucrative invitation--Rocky is initially guarded and rebukes him, still feeling the pain of rejection from this surrogate father figure. Rocky really pays off in the climactic fight between Apollo Creed and "The Italian Stallion". The final showdown is tense and it is a convincing depiction of a real sporting event for the last twenty minutes of the film, and has all the verisimilitude of a real fight. The announcers give a blow-by-blow account and the bright spotlights flood the arena; the feel of the canvas and smell of sweat and blood is so tangible, that the audience will feel like they're really there. Rocky is about proving something to yourself, pursuing what you want and getting it on your terms; it is the invigorating, life-affirming message that has made it such a popular cinematic mainstay.
Recommended for: Fans of an exciting drama about pushing yourself to the limit to reach your goals, no matter how impossible they may seem. In the end, the "David and Goliath" confrontation in Rocky is less about the match between Rocky and Apollo than between Rocky and his own doubts.
The sensationalized match between Apollo Creed is set in the nation's first capital, and the match is decked out in red, white, and blue--as it is with Apollo when he enters the ring in an outrageously ostentatious display. Apollo Creed looks less like a professional pugilist than an entertainer--a proto-WWE personality, who dances around with showmanship in the ring and gives stale platitudes to kids about "staying in school" during his interviews. Although Rocky is offered a shot at stardom through Apollo Creed's invitation, Creed is essentially an unlikable antagonist because he is so arrogant and self-aggrandizing. One scene that underscores this comes when his own manager, Tony "Duke" Evers (Tony Burton), watches an interview with Rocky--the one that has him fervently punching a side of beef until his fists are covered in blood. Duke invites Apollo to see what his tenacious opponent is doing, but he is too involved in a conversation about marketing strategies and international distribution to pay attention. This attitude cements the audience's identification with Rocky, who is far more down to earth and serious about the fight. The Philadelphia in Rocky is really Rocky's world; he lives in a poor urban neighborhood, and is friends with many of the locals. When Rocky jogs through the streets of Philly, it is like a an insider look at the City of Brotherly Love. He runs before dawn as the newspaper delivery trucks are making their rounds. He runs through the streets where vendors sell their produce, tossing him a fruit as he passes by. He runs and pushes himself as he passes by the wharf, with the large ships behind him. Rocky's world is one filled with friends and acquaintances, though his family is nowhere to be seen; Paulie (Burt Young) and Adrian are the closest he has to a real family. Rocky and Adrian's first date (on Thanksgiving, no less) almost turns disastrous from the start, but when he bribes a zamboni driver to let them go out on the ice skating rink, he starts to open up to her. He tells her that the reason he fights was because his father claimed he wasn't smart enough; Adrian commiserates by saying that her mother claimed just the opposite--that she wasn't pretty enough, so she should use her brain instead. The traumas they share help them complete one another; it is an unhealed wound that explains Rocky's self-esteem issues and reluctance to push himself...after all, a man who doesn't try can't fail. Rocky also sees a kind of father figure in Mickey; when he kicks him out of his own locker, it is like his dad is throwing him out. When Mickey later offers to manage him--after Creed's lucrative invitation--Rocky is initially guarded and rebukes him, still feeling the pain of rejection from this surrogate father figure. Rocky really pays off in the climactic fight between Apollo Creed and "The Italian Stallion". The final showdown is tense and it is a convincing depiction of a real sporting event for the last twenty minutes of the film, and has all the verisimilitude of a real fight. The announcers give a blow-by-blow account and the bright spotlights flood the arena; the feel of the canvas and smell of sweat and blood is so tangible, that the audience will feel like they're really there. Rocky is about proving something to yourself, pursuing what you want and getting it on your terms; it is the invigorating, life-affirming message that has made it such a popular cinematic mainstay.
Recommended for: Fans of an exciting drama about pushing yourself to the limit to reach your goals, no matter how impossible they may seem. In the end, the "David and Goliath" confrontation in Rocky is less about the match between Rocky and Apollo than between Rocky and his own doubts.