Monday Movie Review

I didn't have terribly high expectations for Rocky Balboa. The first two films in the Rocky franchise were two of the best sports movies of all time. I absolutely loved the third one, although I was a fourth-grade boy at the time, so my evaluation was probably based more on the nature of the underdog taking on an evil opponent in the form of Clubber Lang (Mr. T) and the fact that I loved the song Eye of the Tiger by Survivor than on the merits of the movie itself. By the time the fourth installment came along, even I, as a twelve year old boy, could tell that the premise of the film was stretching reality a little and played on Cold War fears still hanging on in America.

By the time of the fifth installment, I couldn't even bring myself to watch the movie. Sylvester Stallone had become too much of an action hero, Rocky had become too much of a franchise, and it seemed that there just were no contendors left for Rocky to fight. I have never seen the movie in its entirety, but have seen most of it when it has been on TV. It's not worth the cellulose the film was printed on.

So, when Rocky Balboa came along, I wasn't expecting much. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I watched it this weekend. Now, don't get me wrong, it was definitely cliched and was a stretch of the imagination. But it picked back up on some of the gritty feel of the first two movies. Several references were made throughout the film to scenes from the first movies, so it carried some nostalgia with it.

In short, the movie is about a fifty-something year-old, retired Rocky who is running a restaurant (named Adrian's) in Philly and mourning the death of his love, Adrian (That's right, only one "Yo, Adrian" in this movie.) When an ESPN computer simultion shows that Rocky would win in a fight against current heavyweight champ Mason "The Line" Dixon, Dixon's promoters arrange an exhibition match between him and Rocky. Rocky agrees to the match, wanting to be rid of some "stuff" he still has inside of him. The movie is predictable, and it definitely is not going to win any awards, but it is enjoyable and it has a redemptive message, and to be honest with you, that's more than I expect from a lot of movies. I guess what makes the film at least believable enough to keep you watching is the fact that George Foreman had actually already done it.

Best line from the movie: Rocky: "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place. It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! "

It's not near as gritty or inspiring as the first, but if you were a fan of the first, you will definitely find yourself wanting to cheer for Rocky again.