At the beginning of Rocky Balboa, not much in the idol-worthy boxer’s (Sylvester Stallone, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over) life is worth getting out of bed for.
His longtime love, Adrian, has passed on due to “that woman cancer;” he barely speaks to his son, Rocky Jr., (Milo Ventimiglia, Gilmore Girls, Heroes); and his restaurant, Adrian’s, isn’t exactly doing bustling business. His days consist mostly of visiting Adrian’s grave, picking up supplies for the restaurant and recanting stories of his matches to the customers at night.
But, despite the depression-heavy beginning of Rocky Balboa, the film still satisfies for Rocky fans and first-timers alike. Although some might call the movie cheesy, that’s to be expected – Balboa is, after all, a sports movie, and the genre inherently has some kind of cheese-factor but gets away with it because sports movies are usually based on truth.
And Rocky Balboa should get a pass too, as it uses a strong performance by Stallone to create a fitting conclusion for the Rocky series.
Balboa begins on the anniversary of Adrian’s death, so Rocky and Paulie (Burt Young, Nicky’s Game) take a tour of the city through the places that Rocky and Adrian visited together. Along with Paulie, Balboa brings back several characters from earlier in the series: Spider Rico, whom Rocky fought in the opening scenes of the series’ first film, and little Marie, who called Rocky a “creepo” after he walked her home. Spider eats free at Adrian’s because of Rocky’s hospitality, and Marie becomes a daughter figure for Rocky, who helps her and her son, Steps, by giving them jobs at the restaurant.
In this fifth installment of the Rocky series (Rocky V never happened. I refuse to accept it), Mason “The Line” Dixon (professional boxer Antonio Tarver) is the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but due to a series of inferior opponents, the public hates the champion and yearns for a suspenseful, exciting match where Dixon will not inevitably come out on top.
Since Dixon’s promoters can’t find anyone worthy to fight him, they go in search of a candidate to keep the public happy. Luckily for them, ESPN decides to computer-simulate a fight between Rocky and Dixon – much like the simulated fight between Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali in 1970 – to see who the “ultimate” heavyweight champion of all time is. When Rocky defeats Dixon in the simulated fight, it causes a lot of fervor in the public and especially surprises Rocky, who recently renewed his boxing license to engage in some local matches.
The speech Rocky delivers to the Boxing Commission of Philadelphia is stirring, and along with the speech delivered to his son later about not giving up on life when things get difficult, forms the best dialogue Stallone has written since Rocky in 1976. It’s goosebump-good.
Because the promoters now have the perfect foe for their champion, they attempt to woo Rocky into agreeing to a fight, which they manage to do rather easily. This brings about an excellent training sequence, that, while partially shown in the trailer, brings much more to the table as a whole segment. Duke (Tony Burton, Exorcism), Apollo Creed’s old trainer and later Rocky’s as well, returns to guide him through the rigors of becoming a fighter again – but due to Rocky’s age, this feat is almost impossible.
Facially, Stallone resembles Keith Richards more than he does himself in 1976, but in the muscle department, Stallone is much larger than he was in the first film. I wonder if he uses the same guy as Barry Bonds? This huge gain of muscle isn’t shocking, as Stallone is also releasing a fourth Rambo sequel in 2008. But Rocky’s huge size is the first sign of things to come in his fight with Dixon.
The boxing match between Dixon and Rocky incorporates a lot less actual boxing than the previous films, which is to be expected. But instead of showing a lengthy sequence, the fight is interspersed with flashbacks to the other films, including scenes with Mickey, Rocky’s original trainer (Burgess Meredith, who passed in 1997) and Adrian (Talia Shire, I Heart Huckabees). The flashbacks all occur during the fight between Dixon and Rocky, but their incorporation into the scene is awkward and is one of the weaker aspects of the film.
Nevertheless, Rocky Balboa shines in many places, and some of the little flashes of comedy are executed brilliantly. When Rocky goes out in public, he’s mobbed by fans seeking autographs or pictures, much like Stallone himself is when he appears in Philadelphia. Later, in an interesting incorporation of reality, Paulie asks Rocky if he’s upset because they “took down his statue,” referencing the decision of Philadelphia’s Art Commission this September to relocate the statue of Rocky – made as a prop for Rocky III – from the top of the museum’s steps to an area near the base of the steps.
The only real negative parts of Rocky Balboa were the fight sequence at the end, as it was much faster-paced than the rest of the film, and the odd flashback sequences. But these two instances were a minor blemish on an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable film, and should not deter fans from seeing Rocky Balboa.
After the movie ends, stick around through the goofy credits of people running up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, impersonating Rocky. The image that follows is an incredible way to end the film and wrap up the series; in fact, the sequence should have been placed before the credits so it could be seen by more people.
Overall, even if not you’re a big fan of the Rocky series, take the time to see Rocky Balboa. Though not a perfect knockout, the film will entertain those new to the series and satisfy longtime fans – in fact, add half a star to this rating if you’re already a Rocky fan. It’s worth it.
Contact reporter Tripp Laino at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.
