THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Going into the 21st century, generations of moviegoers were well aware of Rocky, the Best Picture winning sports drama that made Sylvester Stallone a household name to the entertainment industry and sparked an unexpected amount of sequels. Seeing the franchise grow made so much sense because like every other sport, boxing evolves for each generation and this was doing the same. As a fan, I knew more had to be told and we definitely deserved it after the disaster of Rocky V. So with years of patience, we got another sequel that does justice for the franchise as a whole.
PLOT
The sixth film Rocky Balboa follows the titular protagonist still living in Philadelphia, now 60 years old and making a living off of a successful Italian restaurant named after his late wife Adrian, who passed away due to cancer four years prior. Apart from the grief of such loss, he now has an eroding relationship with his adult son Robert Junior, who now has a corporate job in Downtown Philly. The only person left in his generation to show emotional support is his brother in law Paulie, who has his own guilt for treating his sister poorly before marriage. That changes when he befriends a young lady named Marie, who he walked home 30 years prior. She has now grown up a single mother to her teenage son Stephenson aka Steps (James Francis Kelly III). Their friendship would quickly blossom when he offers her a job to be a hostess for his restaurant and bonds with Steps over adopting a dog they’d name ‘Punchy’. On the boxing circuit, Boxer Mason 'The Line' Dixon has had a successful career as undefeated world heavyweight champion, but the fans ridicule him for never having a true contender. When returning to his roots and reaching out to his old trainer Martin (Henry G Sanders), the latter tells him he'll earn his respect when his next opponent tests him. The birth of his next match would come from an unexpected place as ESPN would broadcast a computer simulation of the young boxer losing a fight to a prime Balboa. When Rocky himself sees it, he becomes inspired to renew his boxing license. When that goes public, Dixon's promoters pitch him to take part of an exhibit bout against the champion in Las Vegas (which would bolster his floundering popularity). Despite hesitance, both boxers agree to the match, which would quicky lead to a media buzz that criticizes Rocky's age and Dixon's credibility. When Robert hears about the fight being official, he discourages his father from fighting, admitting that he blames his personal failing on being in his celebrity shadow. The Italian Stallion would make clear he never intended for that to happen, but would put his son in check that he shouldn't blame others like him for things not going his way. The next day, Robert would reconcile with Rocky by visiting his mother's grave and announcing to quit his job, wanting to help him train for the fight. With the help of Paulie, Steps and Tony 'Duke' Evers (Tony Burton), he trains to build more strength and power to his powers as much as possible. With this new perspective, it creates the chance for Rocky to win the fight before he runs out of stamina. After the weigh in that takes place the night before the match, Dixon has small talk with the veteran and tries convince him to hold back on his punches, in exchange for him doing the same. Of course, the Stallion doesn't give a straight answer, implying his intent to give his all as he always would. So on the night of the event, broadcasted via HBO PPV, the fight becomes as epic as the simulation inspired it to be. Dixon does get the upper hand early on, but injures his hand by the second round. This would give Rocky the chin to keep fighting for the rest of the bout. He would keep fighting every time he would get taken down and would return the favor every chance he had. Rocky would surprise the audience for the last time by throwing the last punch by the 10th & final round. Just when the bell rings, he thanks Dixon for the match and tells him he is a great champion. The Stallion would exit the arena with his team as it is announced the champion would win by split decision. The crowd would show respect to both fighters by the end of it all. The film would end with Rocky visiting his wife's grave again, thanking her for helping in spirit.
THOUGHTS
I remember watching the first 5 back to back during the year of 2012, enjoying each viewing experience. I wasn't able to see this immediately because ironically, I kept forgetting to record it on cable at the time. However, I was able to see it in time before Creed and it felt like falling in love with the franchise all over again, which is the best way to describe how much I enjoyed this entry. Back in the director's chair, Stallone gave a return to form for his crown jewel, writing it with nothing but nostalgic passion. Here, this one has a stronger mark compared to the past sequels because this is not about achieving the American Dream anymore, this is about achieving/maintaining humanity. The older we get, the harder it is to enjoy what is left of life, which becomes the greatest fear for human beings to endure. We all know we can't live forever, but the least we can do is things to prove it was worth living. In another raw performance from Stallone himself, Rocky is definitely feeling all of this after losing Adrian, which easily makes him more vulnerable than ever. For a while, he accepted losing his fortune because the love for family was more important than material. He proved to remain a humble man when keeping in touch with his oldest foe Spider Rico (Pedro Lovell). But with the distance he had with his son, it became hard for him to enjoy what was left. He chose to fight again to remind not just the world, but himself who he was and still is. Of course he was nervous because it had been so long since his last official fight caused him to retire in the first place, but he reminded us to not be let others opinions get the best of you. Stallone gave his best scene when he gave his speech to Robert, “It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward”. It’s so damn motivating to hear because it’s true. You must be able to overcome the obstacles without complaint or you’ll never be able to adapt as you wish. It was even great to see him walk away before the decision was announced because it didn’t matter. What mattered to him at that point was the fact that he proved the world he’s still got it. While this wasn’t the end of the Balboa’s arc yet, it was great to see him prove one last time that he is the best. Remembering how supportive Adrian was known to be, it’s nice to think of how proud she’d be of what he was able to do. If you somehow still don't think he's a role model, look at the credit montage of fans jogging up the 72 stone steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, reminding us how underdogs are the best kind of hard workers. While we are here for the Stallion, it was still great to see other familiar faces along with a new one to spice up the story. Due to it being his last outing, this has to be Burt Young’s best as Paulie. Paying attention to his perspective from the beginning, we always knew he was a guy who was broken and far from being capable of extreme change. He is someone you just had to accept no matter how difficult he would be. It felt different this time because we caught on to how regretful he felt of his past. He wishes he was a better brother to Adrian and the only good thing he could do at this point is being a loving friend towards Rocky because he was the only one to tolerate him. Noticing this, he always wished he was a better person. He had his back the whole time and did right by him when taking part in training him (before his time was up as well). I would’ve not minded seeing Sly’s son Sage playing Robert again, but Milo Ventimiglia was a worthy upgrade. He left behind a stronger impression because we felt his struggle on wanting to be his own person as his father’s giant celebrity shadow made it very hard for him to try. That is something Adonis would go through in Creed, but the difference here is that Robert would choose to blame others before making a difference. Getting a much needed piece of motivation by his dad, he is reminded to not be selfish, do what makes you happy and to be there for your family no matter what. Had he not gotten that, he would’ve not helped his dad go out on a high note. And with that, their relationship became stronger than ever and the distance between them vanished. When I said how surprising it was for other familiar faces, I would’ve not guessed a minor character from the first film like Marie to become an essential one here. Geraldine Hughes had us enjoy her presence because she honestly reminded us of Adrian from the start, nervous to be herself but comes out of her shell thanks to Rocky. She felt so originally because she is afraid of failure since it never worked out with her son’s father. The more she hung out with the Stallion, even she would understood history won’t always repeat himself. It was great seeing her there watching the fight at ringside because that was her supporting him as he was for her. Although we don’t see them reach out during Creed, I’m sure they’re still close. In a new era of boxing at this point, you knew Rocky was gonna face a man that would be as different as his past opponents, and it was totally the case when introduced to Mason Dixon. In his given screen time, Antonio Tarver was able to show him to very arrogant of a man, who struggles to prove that he is indeed passionate of his career. No fan of the sport thought he deserved the respect, but boy did that change when he shared the ring with Rocky. It was their fight where Dixon understood to never doubt the impossible. And I think he’ll continue remembering that for the rest of his career. This movie really exceeded my expectations, but I still think there were moments that should’ve made more sense to me. Like for example, was Robert’s boss waiting for Rocky to enter the building? The guy said he had been waiting to meet him, so it sounds crazy he never met him until that day if he was such a fan. You know I don’t even blame Rocky for inviting Paulie to reminisce the areas where he thinks about Adrian, but was it really still a good idea in the long run? He knows how much of a buzzkill he is, so I don’t think it’s worth it if that’s always gonna be a factor. It’s cute that Spider returning the favor to his acquaintance by offering to clean dishes, but how did he get down there? I guess they can’t lock it because the food would have to be coming up and out of there, but I feel like security should be by the door at least. Also, why would Rocky’s statue ever be removed? He is literally the state’s biggest icon and it’s a massive act of disrespect for it to happen as it appears they never told the Stallion himself. I then wonder why did he represent himself to get back his license? It worked out anyway, but it’s a gamble to not have a lawyer by your side. On top of that, why didn’t he tell Robert that he was gonna do the fight? Sure he doesn’t need his approval but since his fame makes them bound to talk about it, it would make more sense for him to personally know what he was doing. And lastly, was Robert even financially stable to quit his job? I understand he didn’t want to be there and his dad would help him out anyway, but it’s kinda weird we didn’t see him think it through. Other than that, I still enjoy the movie for what it is. In short, Rocky Balboa is a great sequel to rejuvenate the love fans were losing for this respective franchise, also providing another batch of motivation. If you’re still a fan of Rocky at this point, see this now.
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