Rocky Balboa
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Movie Reviews of Rocky Balboa
Movie Review: A fitting end to one of the great movie franchises
Summary: 5 Stars
Sylvester Stallone has always been underrated by many, but his characterizations of Rocky Balboa and John Rambo will outlive him and the rest of us. Sure, there were failures in the series, but the originals were classic.
With "Rocky Balboa", Stallone acknowledges saying goodbye to the character he created thirty years earlier. And it is a fine, heart-tugging send off. I doubt, though, that it will work for anyone who hasn't seen the original "Rocky", because the main movie figures so prominently.
Rocky is long past his prime. His beloved Adrian died of "woman's cancer" a few years ago and Rocky pines for her every day. Stallone's script is particularly touching in this regard as Rocky visits the cemetery where he has a folding chair stashed, so he can sit and visit graveside with Adrian. Pauly, Adrian's obnoxious brother, is still around, obnoxiously played by Burt Young who seems born to the role.
Rocky's life is empty. Yes, he has what appears to be a successful restaurant, named "Adrian's", where like many sports celebrities before him, he regales patrons with stories of his glory days. His son, unconvincingly portrayed by someone whose name I've forgotten, is embarassed by his father's fame and is trying to just make his own way in the business world. Rocky visits the old neighborhood and is dismayed to see that things are changing, decaying really, getting old just like the Rock.
Rocky finds a shy romantic interest in the grown-up girl who sassed him in the first "Rocky".
But the real story involves Mason "The Line" Dixon, the reigning heavyweight champion who has an image problem: people think that he has acheived his title not because of his boxing skills, but because his slick promoters line up weak opponents. A local sports show has an ongoing debate over whether Rocky in his prime could have beaten Mason Dixon. Yes, they say and they have a computerized animation to prove it.
This sparks the idea of an "exhibition" match between the young Dixon and the aging Rocky. The spectacle of 60 year old Rocky Balboa training to fight the youthful Dixon becomes the meat of the movie and is, frankly, moving, recalling the original "Rocky". (Seeing the againg Stallone's over-muscled physique, however, borders on the grotesque.)
The culmination is the fight between the two - and it is beautifully choreographed.
In the end, "Rocky Balboa" echos all the human qualities that made the original "Rocky" so appealing. The battle of the underdog doesn't lose its appeal, especially in Stallone's very talented hands.
Jerry
Movie Review: A very well done and moving ending to the series - more like the first Rocky than any of the others
Summary: 5 Stars
The first Rocky film had a heart and a soul that mattered to people a lot more than the fight. Rocky was a kind man who wanted to get through life, was unhappy about being a collector for a local loan shark, and fell in love with Adrian. The whole Apollo Creed thing fell into his lap and changed his life forever.
The spirit that made the first film a joy faded with each new film while the fighting sequences became the point of the film. Sort of like they way the gadgets overshadowed Bond in many of the subsequent films after "Goldfinger". This film is so enjoyable because it has the heart and soul of the first film and the inevitable fight (this time ostensibly an exhibition) is the right send off for the hero.
The film opens later in Rocky's life. He has experienced the one loss he could not bear well. Yet, he has found the grace to bear up under its tremendous weight. Paulie is still as miserable as ever, actually even angrier and in not very healthy way. He lives in a row house just as he did in the first film and has a small restaurant that serves decent food but whose main attraction is for folks to come by and get a picture taken with Rocky and hear the champ tell his old stories for the ten thousandth time and Stallone does just the right touch on making the stories sound that way.
We also see him fill some of the emotional gaps in his life in a very touching way. Since Adrian is ever present in his heart, it is very touching to see him develop a friendship with a woman that is really a friendship and not a prelude to something that could encroach on where Rocky really is emotionally.
The most wrenching relationship in the movie is between Rocky and his son. Yes, sons do have to become their own man and it is incredibly tough to find an independent place to stand when your father was the heavyweight champion of the world and people want to know you to meet your father. This is a very active force in Rocky's life and leads him in several directions that all make real sense.
I also appreciated the way the film actually set up the fight between Rocky and Mason "the Line" Dixon (by the very capable Antonio Tarver) by actually creating sympathy for him by making him unsympathetic. Yes, a neat trick. The film doesn't set him as a big villain as previous Rocky films did with Clubber Lang or Ivan Drago.
This was a very fine way to end the series and does so on a rather moving high note.
Movie Review: Not Over 'Till It's Over
Summary: 5 Stars
When the lights came up on 1990's Rocky V, like most filmgoers, I thought that I'd seen the last of Rocky Balboa, the indomitable everyman who, through the course of five movies, took the heavyweight boxing title not once, but twice (and also singlehandedly won the Cold War). Certainly if you'd told me then that we'd get the chance to revisit this character nearly two decades on, I would've called you crazy.
And yet, like his cinematic alter-ego of thirty years, writer-director-star Sylvester Stallone apparently still had "some stuff left in the basement," and here we are sixteen years later, with Sly once more lacing up those padded gloves and stepping into the squared circle for one final ("We really mean it this time!") bout.
I guess that's why, for me, there was a bittersweetness to watching Rocky Balboa. The whole experience had the feeling of seeing a friend you never thought you'd meet again, knowing you have to say goodbye before too long. If that sounds a trifle maudlin, so be it. Nevertheless, with this character, the big-hearted fighter from South Philly, Stallone assured his own place in the annals of filmdom by creating one of the most indelible, enduring, iconic roles in movie history. So it's hard not to feel attached to the big lug.
In Rocky Balboa, the two-time former champ is at his lowest ebb personally. His beloved wife Adrian has passed away (from "the woman's cancer"), his son is a largely-infrequent presence in his life, and he mostly spends time at his semi-successful Italian restaurant regaling customers with tales of his former glory. This is a Rocky at the twilight of his career, largely pushed to the wayside by things shinier and newer. This is a Rocky who has become, in essence, the guest star of his own story. And yet...he still has something to offer (cue Bill Conti's "Gonna Fly Now").
The "Rocky" story is a timeless myth for the ages (yes, even the fourth one). More than that, the entire Rocky cinematic cycle, from 1976's original through the four sequels and now with Rocky Balboa, represents a singular achievement in movie lore: tracking the life and times of a single fictional character, essentially in real time, over the course of three decades. We've seen the highs, we've seen the lows, and now we're seeing him off.
Rocky Balboa is a fitting (and welcome) coda for a character with whom we all were able to go the distance.
Movie Review: It ain't over till it's over
Summary: 5 Stars
Rocky Balboa steps into the ring one last time for an exhibition match against heavyweight champion Mason "The Line" Dixon. A virtual dream match says that if Dixon and Balboa were to fight in their prime, Balboa would win. It gets people talking and surely enough, Rocky's ready to rumble in Las Vegas. For the first time in his professional career, he's fighting without Adrian at his side; we learn that she lost her own fight to the "woman cancer". Paulie, Duke, and Rocky Jr. (now renamed Robert) along with Little Marie are all back to help the Italian Stallion go the distance.
I'm a huge Rocky fan; I grew up watching these movies over and over again (I saw 4 of them in theaters as they were coming out; Rocky III-IV-V and Rocky Balboa) and I couldn't wait to see this one when I first saw the trailer for it last fall. Kudos to Stallone for pulling this off and finishing the Rocky saga the way it was meant to end (Rocky V surprisingly is not as bad as we all remember it, but no less lightweight compared to the other entries in the series). The Stallion is in great shape and it shows. Stallone, who continues to write and direct the series, has injected a lot of emotion in this last ride; more so than the last two installments combined.
Bringing back Little Marie from the first film was very appropriate and Geraldine Hughes did a great job portraying her. I like the way Rocky and Marie's relationship develops; she needs him to believe in herself and he needs her to help fill the void Adrian left. Milo Ventimiglia was perfectly cast as Robert (whatever happened to the name Rocky Jr.?) who's been living in the shadow of a legend. Burt Young played Paulie the same way he's always done and we love him for it. Everything that made the Rocky films what they are is here: the training montage, the run up the museum steps, the flashbacks, Bill Conti's Rocky fanfare, and that exciting final boxing match. The boxing sequences were expertly filmed and the use of black and white at times was a nice touch.
Rocky Balboa is for all of us kids of the 70's and 80's who grew up watching Rocky fight Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang, and Ivan Drago and kept asking for more. It bathes in nostalgia and delivers the goods on every level. Stallone should be proud to have his beloved character go out in a blaze of glory like this. It's been a great saga, we'll miss you Rocky.
Movie Review: A More Fitting Conclusion To The Rocky Saga
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1990, Rocky fans thought the incredibly popular film franchise had come to an end with "Rocky V". However, after Stallone's own dissatisfaction with the way that film played out began eating at him, 16 years later the series got a fitting ending with this effort.
For a basic plot summary, "Rocky Balboa" wraps up the storyline of its title character. While struggling to get over the death of his beloved Adrian and trying to re-connect with his businessman son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), Rocky (Stallone) starts to wonder if he could go that "one more" round when a computer simulation of him fighting the current heavyweight champion, Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver) begins making the ESPN rounds. When an exhibition match between the two fighters is set up, Rocky must decide once again if it is worth putting it all on the line in the ring.
The reason why this film is such a great ending to the Rocky saga is because of its focus on the past and Stallone's ability to really (for the sixth consecutive time) nail the character of Rocky Balboa. Rocky V did a lot of things right, but it was really more of a stand-alone story than a series wrap. In this case, it is clear that the homages being paid to the past are necessary in order to close the storyline for good.
Like its five predecessors, there are a few things that this film doesn't quite nail, like a few narratives that don't quite line up (how exactly does fighting the champ release his inner Adrian "demons") and same incredibly fakey fight choreography. However, "Rocky Balboa" does so many other things right (humor, character development, emotion, etc.) that the complaints are relegated to nit-picking.
Thus, if you were left feeling wanting after Rocky V, or just want to enjoy one more go-round with one of the most inspirational film characters ever created, this movie will not disappoint. Though often criticized for certain aspects of the Rocky series, it is remarkable how well Sylvester Stallone can craft the character, his settings, his challenges, and the people he loves into a narrative that makes us care so much.