![]() ![]() ![]() "It just takes about six years to get to know him." "How about investing in condominiums, Rock?" "I never use ‘em.". Let’s face it, in "Rocky IV," when he’s approaching 40 and doing one-handed push-ups and throwing boulders in Siberia, it makes any guy watching feel like a little bit less of a man. * He’s poorly educated, but he knows it and remains humble because of it. He never feels obligated to tell people what they want to hear, or alter his personality when he’s in unfamiliar surroundings. * He believes in himself and always stays true to himself. He takes Adrian to a closed ice skating rink for their first date and proposes to her at a zoo (every man should propose at a zoo, BTW). * He’s a devoted husband, even though Adrian is an at-times less than supportive wife (‘You can’t win!’). * He goes out of his way to avoid confrontation, even though he knows he could end any disagreement with a single punch. From Marie to Paulie to Spider Rico to the stranded farmer in Russia to Tommy Gunn to Adonis Creed, Rocky always puts others before himself. He visits Adrian’s grave every single day after she dies and stands by Paulie for life even though Paulie is terrible. He accepts people who are different than him even if he doesn’t understand them. When working as muscle for a loan shark, he doesn’t have the heart to hurt the guy he’s supposed to, and even as a boxer he can’t bring himself to play tough guy with his opponents and the media. * He’s both patriotic and religious, but not preachy. ![]() Realizing how stringently Stallone adheres to those principles makes the series as a whole greater than the sum of its parts and crystallizes Rocky’s appeal. We see him mature and age, rise and fall, but the man himself never really changes.ĭuring a recent binge-watch of the entire series, a number of themes and traits rose to the surface. We forgive even the most saccharine scenes because of how much we believe in Rocky and identify with him. Throughout the series, amid the ups and downs, Rocky himself remains unimpeachable. Tell me you don’t get the urge to put on sweatpants and head to the gym after watching a Rocky flick and I’ll call you a liar. For the most part they get progressively worse from the best-picture-winning original to the forgettable "Rocky V," a movie that was so depressing Stallone rebooted the series largely so his character wouldn’t end on such a glum note.īut each film has its moments – the boxing scenes, sure, and the familiar characters, the quotable one-liners and, of course, the training montages set to Bill Conti’s famous soundtrack. Rocky is what we wish to see in ourselves. No character the movies have ever given us has better represented our humanity – our dreams, our struggles, our daily attempt to be better people. That's because Rocky Balboa is the greatest movie character of all time. Rocky is an American icon, and if Stallone is ever going to be honored by the Hollywood elite, we want it to be as Rocky. We’ve seen Rocky vulnerable before, but never this vulnerable, as Stallone delivers a quietly moving and dignified performance (as he did in 2006’s "Rocky Balboa"), completing his metamorphosis over the past few films from invincible sports hero to old and weathered widower. In fact, it seemed like the filmmakers went out of their way to make sure this didn’t happen, and it’s impressive how Stallone takes pains to avoid being the focus of the film. And while the movie works on its own terms, it was hard for Stallone/Rocky not to steal every scene he was in. I enjoyed "Creed" – it’s a good addition to the series and won’t be the last. The Rocky movies have been in a virtual loop on cable this winter, which gave me another chance to watch the series from beginning to end, and I recently saw "Creed," the spinoff film about Apollo Creed’s son that served as a way for Stallone to relive the character for another film and garnered him his nomination. If you played sports, or are the kind of person who spends any time reflecting on your own self-worth in a way that involves challenging yourself physically and psychologically, Rocky Balboa is a monumentally inspiring person. Millions of American men roughly my age can relate. The movies are always on, and some of the scenes and quotes are forever burned into my consciousness. ![]() Rocky is never too far from my mind at any given time. But let's be honest, when the Academy Awards air Sunday evening, it's Rocky we'll be rooting for to win best supporting actor. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |