"Yo, Adrian, we did it!"
Took myself to the movies tonite and saw "Rocky Balboa." And it was EXcellent! I have very vague memories of seeing Rocky I-III ages ago when the local networks would air them as their space-filler, Saturday afternoon movie, but I've never bothered to watch any of them properly, since I have the basic gist of it all. And that's all I needed to get pumped and thrilled and happy and amused during this latest (and last??) boxing adventure by Sylvestor Stallone.
The first half of the movie gets off to a slow start, with Rocky reliving his past, pining for recently deceased wife Adrian and reduced to telling his old boxing stories as he wanders the tables at his restaurant in South Philly. His life is idyllic, in its quietly sad sort of way, but you get the impression that Rocky is relatively content with it. Sort of. He has a slightly difficult relationship with his son, Robert, who is struggling to define himself under the shadow of his famous father, and Rocky admits that he still has "stuff in the basement" that he's not sure what to do with. Meanwhile, the current heavyweight boxing champion, Mason Dixon, is getting booed out of the ring because he's too good, lacking any truly worthy opponents to test himself against.
When sports analysts pit a CGI Rocky in his prime against a CGI Dixon, and the simulation predicts Rocky winning, Dixon's agents see an opportunity to improve their champ's PR image, and Rocky decides that going glove-to-glove with Dixon in an exhibition could be the way to get out of his rut and settle some of his loose ends. Cue the "Rocky" theme! The movie takes off down familiar territory after this, with the obligatory montage of Rocky training, Rocky drinking eggs and Rocky running up those famous steps (it's as much a tribute to the other films as a plot device on its own, and I loved it). Then he steps into the ring against Mason Dixon, cheered on by Paulie, son Robert, and all of America, even though the aging champ seemingly has very little chance of winning.
Hardly the most creative of storylines, admittedly.
"Rocky Balboa" is a movie about Rocky the man, but it is also a movie celebrating Rocky the movie franchise. It is celebrating what Rocky is, as well as who he is, and for that reason, when you finally get to the blow-by-blow at the end, who wins isn't really important. What's important is that Rocky was true to himself. He held no delusions about his age, his chances, the way it looks to others. He had nothing to prove to himself, nor to us. We love Rocky for Rocky, as much now as thirty years ago, and "Rocky Balboa" is not only a sequel, but a tribute.
The movie's biggest strength is not pulling its punches when it comes to the seemingly tired premise of "aging hero out to show he can still get the job done." The plot is conventional, but that's part of its charm. It's also wonderful to note that although Adrian is dead, her character features as strongly in this film as in any of the others. What really carries the film is the strength of the acting, however. Stallone brings a real sparkle to Rocky's bumbling, slurry and charming boxer. There's something real about Rocky that lifts him above a lot of other movie sports heroes. It helps that Stallone is still very physically impressive at (almost) 60.
On paper, the very idea of "Rocky Balboa" seems as ludicrous as the movie's plot: Stallone stepping back into the boxing gloves and in front of the camera at his age seemed one destined to end embarrassingly. Instead, "Rocky Balboa" is a graceful bowing-out of one of America's most iconic heroes. It's not epic, it doesn't shake things up. It does exactly what all the other "Rocky" movies have done, with a nostalgic eye and loving pen, aware of its flaws and drawbacks from the starting gate. The character of Rocky started out as an underdog and ended as a champion, and with this movie, Stallone has done the same thing for his franchise.
I'm looking forward to 2008's Rambo sequel.
The first half of the movie gets off to a slow start, with Rocky reliving his past, pining for recently deceased wife Adrian and reduced to telling his old boxing stories as he wanders the tables at his restaurant in South Philly. His life is idyllic, in its quietly sad sort of way, but you get the impression that Rocky is relatively content with it. Sort of. He has a slightly difficult relationship with his son, Robert, who is struggling to define himself under the shadow of his famous father, and Rocky admits that he still has "stuff in the basement" that he's not sure what to do with. Meanwhile, the current heavyweight boxing champion, Mason Dixon, is getting booed out of the ring because he's too good, lacking any truly worthy opponents to test himself against.
When sports analysts pit a CGI Rocky in his prime against a CGI Dixon, and the simulation predicts Rocky winning, Dixon's agents see an opportunity to improve their champ's PR image, and Rocky decides that going glove-to-glove with Dixon in an exhibition could be the way to get out of his rut and settle some of his loose ends. Cue the "Rocky" theme! The movie takes off down familiar territory after this, with the obligatory montage of Rocky training, Rocky drinking eggs and Rocky running up those famous steps (it's as much a tribute to the other films as a plot device on its own, and I loved it). Then he steps into the ring against Mason Dixon, cheered on by Paulie, son Robert, and all of America, even though the aging champ seemingly has very little chance of winning.
Hardly the most creative of storylines, admittedly.
"Rocky Balboa" is a movie about Rocky the man, but it is also a movie celebrating Rocky the movie franchise. It is celebrating what Rocky is, as well as who he is, and for that reason, when you finally get to the blow-by-blow at the end, who wins isn't really important. What's important is that Rocky was true to himself. He held no delusions about his age, his chances, the way it looks to others. He had nothing to prove to himself, nor to us. We love Rocky for Rocky, as much now as thirty years ago, and "Rocky Balboa" is not only a sequel, but a tribute.
The movie's biggest strength is not pulling its punches when it comes to the seemingly tired premise of "aging hero out to show he can still get the job done." The plot is conventional, but that's part of its charm. It's also wonderful to note that although Adrian is dead, her character features as strongly in this film as in any of the others. What really carries the film is the strength of the acting, however. Stallone brings a real sparkle to Rocky's bumbling, slurry and charming boxer. There's something real about Rocky that lifts him above a lot of other movie sports heroes. It helps that Stallone is still very physically impressive at (almost) 60.
On paper, the very idea of "Rocky Balboa" seems as ludicrous as the movie's plot: Stallone stepping back into the boxing gloves and in front of the camera at his age seemed one destined to end embarrassingly. Instead, "Rocky Balboa" is a graceful bowing-out of one of America's most iconic heroes. It's not epic, it doesn't shake things up. It does exactly what all the other "Rocky" movies have done, with a nostalgic eye and loving pen, aware of its flaws and drawbacks from the starting gate. The character of Rocky started out as an underdog and ended as a champion, and with this movie, Stallone has done the same thing for his franchise.
I'm looking forward to 2008's Rambo sequel.