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I never saw Rocky when it was cool –- and neither did my husband. We felt like losers for having never seen it, so we finally broke down and rented it. After all, it’s a classic, right?
Though I realized that it was an Academy Award winner, I didn’t really expect much out of Rocky. It all just seemed like it would be a bit too cheesy for me -– and (at the risk of being stalked and harassed by die-hard Rocky fans) it was.
Sylvester Stallone (who, incidentally, wrote the screenplay) plays Rocky Balboa, an aging Philly boxer and part-time professional thug, who loves his pet turtles and is trying really hard to win the affections of introverted, style-challenged Adrian (Talia Shire). Adrian isn’t really much of an obstacle. Her brother is Rocky’s good friend, so he sets them up (and forces Adrian to go on the date), and the rest is history. They’re pretty much a stable couple from then on.
Then comes The Big Fight. As 1976 -– the year of the nation’s bicentennial -– approaches, the world’s boxing champ, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) is planning a huge fight. When his opponent backs out, Apollo decides to fight a no-name local boy –- to give him lots of publicity (but little challenge). He chooses Rocky because he likes his nickname: The Italian Stallion.
With the help of his trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), Rocky prepares for the fight of his life, determined to “go the distance.”
Rocky is supposed to be touching and motivational. If you read the film’s description on the back of the case, you’ll read that Adrian’s influence brings out the softer side of Rocky –- while motivating him to give it his all. Yet that’s not really all that obvious, if you ask me. Adrian’s just there. Their relationship never really appeared to be all that special. Rocky treated her more like a little sister than anything else.
And the movie’s conclusion was a jumbled mess. After a long, drawn-out boxing match (which moves along rather slowly) the whole tempo of the film speeds up to approximately the speed of light. Before you realize what’s happening, it’s over.
I’m not saying that Rocky is a horrible movie. It was pretty good. But I don’t think it’s everything that people say it is. And I don’t think I would have voted for it had I been a member of the Academy back in 1976 (though I don’t know what it was up against, either –- it could have been a bad year).
Rocky is, however, a classic. Everyone needs to see it at least once -– or people will pick on you if you don’t. So if you haven’t seen it, please do so. Just don’t expect to be especially touched by it.
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