ROCKY

REVIEWED BY SHANNON H.

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: mild sensuality, language, violence

Rated:

We've all seen them; the boxing films featuring down-and-out fighters with a million to one shot at beating the undefeated heavyweight champ. The Champ (both films), recent Oscar winner Million Dollar Baby and Cinderella Man (starring Russell Crowe) all seem to feed off of the underdog boxer theme. This film started the trend.

Tough, street-smart Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is an amateur boxer who fights in clubs while working as a "bodyguard" for a sleazy loan shark. Despite his tough image, Rocky is a nice guy at heart and is well liked by the locals. He lives by extremely humble means. His apartment is small and his only pets are a few fish and a couple of turtles. Still, he enjoys life and doesn't complain about his living quarters. His friend Paulie (Burt Young) is totally the opposite, a hard-drinking butcher who has a quick temper and really doesn't appreciate what he has in life: a good home, a loving sister, and a really good friend in Rocky. He sets up Rocky with his sister, Adrian (Talia Shire), a shy pet store clerk whom Rocky likes (he's always buying pet food from her). Adrian is reluctant to go out with him on the first date but the two hit it off immediately. Rocky has trouble with the owner of the local boxing club. Mickey (Burgess Meredith) has had enough of Rocky working as a "thug" for a loan shark so he promptly gets rid of his locker that he's had for six years. Rocky is annoyed but shrugs it off.

It isn't until Rocky gets a call from a boxing promoter about a boxing offer. Heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is in Rocky's hometown of Philadelphia for a match and wants to spar with an unknown fighter to give him some fame. He comes across a book full of Philadelphia fighters and sees Rocky's name in it along with his nickname, "The Italian Stallion." Rocky initially refuses but is quickly talked into the deal. The boxing club owner now sees interest in Rocky as a potential boxing star and he immediately becomes Rocky's manager. For five weeks, Rocky gets up at 4 a.m. for a morning jog and, despite Mickey's disapproval of Adrian, Rocky continues to see her and the two fall in love. As soon as the date of the match between Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa gets closer, the more doubtful Rocky becomes as he is starting to lose confidence in his ability to possibly beat the world heavyweight champion.

The film is rated PG primarily for language, consisting of numerous mild profanities and abuses of deity. There's nothing graphic, but Rocky and Adrian make out in his apartment. Adrian tries coming on to him later, but he's not in the mood to "fool around." They're shown sleeping in the same bed, and Adrian suggests moving in with Rocky. Violence is consistent with boxing scenes. In a drunken temper, Paulie threatens to break their legs with a baseball bat. Rocky is seen praying to God and crossing himself before going into the ring with Apollo Creed. He has a Crucifix nailed to a wall near his bed.  It's clear that he relies on God to help him in the boxing ring. Another positive aspect of the movie is that Rocky spots a troubled teen hanging out with the wrong crowd and tries to tell her about the consequences of living a troubled life. Unfortunately, she refuses to take his advice. Despite some of the objectionable content, Rocky has positive aspects.

I liked the film. Sure, it's formulaic but it is one of the first real boxing films to develop the sub-genre of underdog sports movies. Sylvester Stallone truly is Rocky Balboa. Almost 30 years later, people would still remember Sly as the unknown boxer who took on a famed champion fighter. The DVD features are varied. There are a couple of interviews, trailers for all five Rocky movies, as well as a dedication to the late Burgess Meredith. Stallone, who still acts and is a co-host of a boxing reality show The Contender, explains how the idea of Rocky came to be and how 25 years later, he still misses playing that character. It was interesting to know how Rocky spawned from a story Stallone wrote into an Oscar nominated film. The film does have some bad content but the good attributes outweigh the bad. My advice is to rent this on DVD and see it with the widescreen settings. You will not be disappointed.

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