Rocky Balboa
Written and Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Geraldine Hughes, Milo Ventimiglia

Sylvester Stallone is not the man he once was. As a hold over from an era when action movies were built around muscular dudes who preferred brute force to fancy martial arts, Sly just hasn’t had that much success transitioning his career to match the changing trends. Cop Land is probably the last role that he received any sort of acclaim for, and that was almost 10 years ago. Since then it’s been stuff like Get Carter, Driven and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over that have left people feeling sorry for him rather than respecting his work as an actor.

But Stallone is a smart and resourceful guy, who basically built his own career from the ground up, based on a simple script that he wrote himself. You may have heard of it… it was a little movie called Rocky, which went on to become one of the most successful franchises of all time. Unfortunately, all franchises start to go downhill over time, and with Rocky it was Part 5 that ultimately brought the saga to a close. Until now.

This year Stallone has given Rocky one last chance to prove himself in the ring; and at the same time, given himself one last chance to prove himself in Hollywood. The parallels between Rocky and Stallone himself are quite striking here; in fact, the two are almost indistinguishable from one another. Part of that is also because Stallone has poured his heart and soul into the character and this film, which is precisely what makes it work so well. This brings me to perhaps the most important point I want to make in this review: whatever you do, do not dismiss this film just because Stallone is 60 years old. Rocky Balboa is a complex and moving drama, made interesting by his yearning for the past and sense of lost opportunity. This is not something you see very often nowadays, and it’s certainly not an example of a washed-up actor going after an easy paycheck. Quite the opposite actually — according to Stallone, this movie was the hardest of the series to get greenlit.

Where the last movie left off, Rocky was not fighting anymore because he was starting to develop brain damage, and instead he had taken up coaching. He had also lost most of his fortune and was living back in Philadelphia with Adrian and his son Rocky Jr. Now, 15 years later, Adrian has passed away and Rocky has opened a restaurant named after her. He lives in loneliness and depression, dwelling on the past, and mostly estranged from his son who doesn’t want to be associated with his father’s legacy. When ESPN runs a special episode pitting old boxers against modern day fighters, a computer simulation picks Rocky as a possibly victor over current champion Mason “The Line” Dixon. It inspires Rocky to start fighting again, just in local clubs, to continue doing the one thing he loved and prove to himself that he still can compete on some level. After that, however, Dixon’s management approaches Rocky with a proposition: fight in an exhibition in Las Vegas against the current champ as one last hurrah. Rocky accepts, against his better judgment and against the wishes of his family and friends.

I think Rocky Balboa most closely resembles the first Rocky movie in the sense that it’s a quiet and introspective piece, and feels like an independent film. Anyone going in looking for high energy boxing action will mostly be disappointed — with the exception of the actual final showdown, there is none. But for me, the movie delivered all the right combinations and hit all the right notes. It’s a real tearjerker at times, and Rocky is definitely down in the dumps. I actually thought Stallone was laying it on a little thick at first with how bleak Rocky’s life was, but in the end it was believable and necessary for the rest of the film to feel as powerful as it does. Rocky is possibly the most uplifting and inspiring movie series ever, and Rocky Balboa definitely carries on the tradition in that sense.

The acting absolutely carries the movie. Rocky develops a touching non-romantic relationship with “Little Marie” (Geraldine Hughes), a girl from his neighbourhood who appeared in the first film. This kind of relationship (popularized as of late by Lost In Translation, in my opinion) was the perfect way to give him a love interest without being cheesy or disrespectful to Adrian. Rocky’s son in this one is played by Milo Ventimiglia (best known now for his role on Heroes) and he does a good job being suspicious of his dad without turning it into a cliche. Burt Young as Paulie is also a force on screen, and makes for some of the best comic relief as well.

They updated the franchise and modernized it without making it seem forced; it works because Rocky is the guy still stuck in the past. He’s not all hip and 2006, he’s still the guy who takes pleasure in the simple things in life. Rocky Balboa doesn’t rely much on repeating moments from past Rocky movies either; although there is a training montage using the Rocky theme (which, of course, generated cheers from the audience) things like “Eye of the Tiger” are nowhere to be found.

As for the final fight, this was maybe the only part of the movie I found slightly disappointing. They worked to make it seem realistic and faithfully recreated the look of an HBO presentation. It also helped that Antonio Tarver, who plays Mason Dixon, is the actual current light heavyweight champion. But then they tried to make the fight seem disorienting, and also tried to get all artsy with it, which just felt clumsy. Still, the strength of this movie is not in the fight, I had already been more than won over by that time.

Overall, I thought Rocky Balboa was total class. It’s a great return to form for Stallone, and puts the series and its characters to rest with some dignity. It also proves without a doubt that Stallone has plenty of years left in his career, and I’m looking forward to see what he does with Rambo next. If you go see one movie this holiday season, make it Rocky Balboa! — Sean

SCORE:

Recommended If You Like: Rocky, Million Dollar Baby, The Smashing Machine