Rocky Balboa
Back in 2003, I discussed what Ain’t It Cool News’ Harry Knowles might call my “Cinema DNA”- in a sense, the movies I watched as a child that formulated much of what I look for in my movies as an adult- which Knowles had talked about the previous year in his review of “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.” My discussion was in my review of “Return of the King.” Included among the films was “Rocky IV,” always the “Rocky” film I’d watched most growing up (the Oscar winning original is one I need to see again (and indeed I have, and it still works on me); a refresher course on the sequels- at least the first two- might not hurt, either). “Rocky IV” came out when I was 8 and I thrilled to the David and Goliath story at the heart of it (plus, the soundtrack is great ’80s pop/rock); it still works on me, even if the obvious Cold War influence on the film’s story dates it some.
Twenty-one years after that first remembered experience with Sylvester Stallone’s Italian Stallion, Stallone’s back in the ring as his beloved underdog boxer in an effort that doesn’t embarass either the character or the actor-writer-director bringing him to life. In the present day, Rocky- long retired from boxing- is running an Italian restaurant in Philly named after his dearly-departed wife Adrian, who passes away four years ago. That may seem like a large plot point to give away, but it’s intregal to the film’s story. You can see it on Stallone’s face that Rocky’s still harboring pain over losing Adrian (Talia Shire’s character does show up in flashbacks, however), even as he plays the gracious host by telling the customers (to whom he’s a hometown hero) stories of his glory days in the ring. He seems set in his ways, with his brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young, always a bright spot onscreen in these films) around to give him some grief, but not necessarily happy. His relationship with his son (Milo Ventimiglia) is on the rocks, and he just seems to go through life without being a part of it. Gradually, however, that all starts to change. He befriends a 40-something single mother (warmly played by newcomer Geraldine Hughes)- whom he first encounter in the events of the original film- and her adult son (James Francis Kelly III), who seems just a stonesthrow away from being a problem kid (he’s actually a pretty good kid), and ESPN- using modern technology- poses a theory. The sports network shows a computer simulation of a 60-year old Rocky in the ring with current heavyweight champion Mason “The Line” Dixon (real-life fighter Antonio Tarver doesn’t embarass himself in the acting department, making Dixon seem less a villain than someone who just hasn’t had a good fight in forever). When the simulation shows Rocky winning the bout, a “What if?” scenario plays out as Dixon’s managers look to bring Balboa out of retirement for an exhibition match with the current champ. If the story sounds lifted from the original, that’s no coincidence.
The first half of this movie (basically, anything leading up to the obligatory training montage and big fight) is loaded with several wonderful, character-driven moments and a score by Bill Conti (known as much for conducting the music at the Oscars as he is for his Oscar-nominated work for the original “Rocky”) that is thoughtfully touching when it’s not kicking “Gonna Fly Now” (the theme that works you every time) into high gear, but it also has many moments that just feel mawkish and forced (and Tony Burton’s cornerman Duke- who, like Stallone and Young, has been in each film- is underused). And after five “big fight” conclusions, the final fight- though staged and executed as well as ever- has a sense of the inevitable. But those wonderful moments- and Stallone’s lived-in, almost graceful performance- make up for the film’s shortcomings, and show that Stallone- like his character- still has some fight left in him. After 16 years (“Rocky V” was released in 1990), Rocky- both the character and the movie (which no one has really given a chance pre-release)- is a true underdog again. After 30 years, he’s still someone worth cheering for.
