Rocky
Genre: Drama/Action
The ultimate feel good movie... Rocky never fails. Made on a low budget for a film at the time, Sylvester Stallone based his character on himself; a 'down on his luck' actor that needed a chance to prove himself. And while Rocky might be fighting for the championship belt, Stallone himself was fighting for fame. And it shines through in this film.
The movie is about a young Rocky Balboa, who fights in a shitty little boxing club in the ugly end of Philadelphia and works as a loan-shark just to get by. He is good natured, despite being, on all accounts, a "loser". He falls in love with a young woman named Adrian, his best friends sister, who is incredibly shy... like Rocky himself. Generally, however, things look bleak for poor Rocky, as he loses his place in the boxing club and continues to break peoples thumbs as a loan-shark for cash...
However, the miracle finds it's way to Rocky's life eventually, as he is given a chance to prove himself to the world and make himself known. Apollo Creed, the heavyweight champion of the world, randomly selects an unknown from the masses to have a shot at the title. Rocky's nickname, "The Italian Stallion", catches his eye, and Rocky, against all the odds, is selected to fight the champ.
Rocky must not only train for the fight, but overcome all the other shit that's going on as well... he must not only deal with his jealous best friend and the implications this will have on Rocky's relationship with Adrian, but also overcome his self doubt and begin to believe in himself. This all cumulates to an incredibly exciting, edge of your seat fight against the champion, who has no idea what is gonna hit him...
The acting in this movie is incredible... Stallone plays Rocky perfectly, both as an aggressive fighter eager to prove himself, and a socially-awkward, but good natured outcast, outside the ring. Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, is as pompous and arrogant as you would expect from the champ, making his character showboat as the ultimate parody of Muhammad Ali. Performances from minor characters are passable, but it's the performances from the main cast that make these people seem real and believable.
The movie shows it's age in the fight scenes, where some of the punches (and obviously, the reactions to these punches) seem kinda fake. But it's all definitely passable. The soundtrack is a winner, with the "Rocky theme" everybody knows (although no "Eye of the Tiger" yet), and suitably emotional music where it is needed.
Overall, it is the plot and characters that make this movie a timeless classic. Although it is questionable whether the girls will like this one as much as you, it still has a broad target audience and should appeal to just about everyone. The emotional weight of the story outside the ring is powerful, but never girly. And the boxing is even more exciting than a real life boxing match, since it is so easy to get attached to Stallone's character. Highly recommended viewing!
Overall: 9/10
Genre: Drama/Action
The ultimate feel good movie... Rocky never fails. Made on a low budget for a film at the time, Sylvester Stallone based his character on himself; a 'down on his luck' actor that needed a chance to prove himself. And while Rocky might be fighting for the championship belt, Stallone himself was fighting for fame. And it shines through in this film.
The movie is about a young Rocky Balboa, who fights in a shitty little boxing club in the ugly end of Philadelphia and works as a loan-shark just to get by. He is good natured, despite being, on all accounts, a "loser". He falls in love with a young woman named Adrian, his best friends sister, who is incredibly shy... like Rocky himself. Generally, however, things look bleak for poor Rocky, as he loses his place in the boxing club and continues to break peoples thumbs as a loan-shark for cash...
However, the miracle finds it's way to Rocky's life eventually, as he is given a chance to prove himself to the world and make himself known. Apollo Creed, the heavyweight champion of the world, randomly selects an unknown from the masses to have a shot at the title. Rocky's nickname, "The Italian Stallion", catches his eye, and Rocky, against all the odds, is selected to fight the champ.
Rocky must not only train for the fight, but overcome all the other shit that's going on as well... he must not only deal with his jealous best friend and the implications this will have on Rocky's relationship with Adrian, but also overcome his self doubt and begin to believe in himself. This all cumulates to an incredibly exciting, edge of your seat fight against the champion, who has no idea what is gonna hit him...
The acting in this movie is incredible... Stallone plays Rocky perfectly, both as an aggressive fighter eager to prove himself, and a socially-awkward, but good natured outcast, outside the ring. Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers, is as pompous and arrogant as you would expect from the champ, making his character showboat as the ultimate parody of Muhammad Ali. Performances from minor characters are passable, but it's the performances from the main cast that make these people seem real and believable.
The movie shows it's age in the fight scenes, where some of the punches (and obviously, the reactions to these punches) seem kinda fake. But it's all definitely passable. The soundtrack is a winner, with the "Rocky theme" everybody knows (although no "Eye of the Tiger" yet), and suitably emotional music where it is needed.
Overall, it is the plot and characters that make this movie a timeless classic. Although it is questionable whether the girls will like this one as much as you, it still has a broad target audience and should appeal to just about everyone. The emotional weight of the story outside the ring is powerful, but never girly. And the boxing is even more exciting than a real life boxing match, since it is so easy to get attached to Stallone's character. Highly recommended viewing!
Overall: 9/10
