ROCKY BALBOA
Rocky's Law: It's Not If You Win Or Lose, It's
How You Fight The Tough Fight Called Life
PopcornReel.com Movie Review: "Rocky Balboa"
By Omar P.L. Moore/December 20, 2006
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Waxing nostalgic on the streets of
Philadelphia: Geraldine Hughes and Sylvester Stallone, with Punch the dog
(Second photo) -- Getting strong now: preparing for the fight (All photos:
MGM)
"If you stay in one place long enough you
become it," says Burt Young's Paulie character, whose Archie Bunker mentality
remains intact. For years Sylvester Stallone has remained in the world's
conscience as Rocky, the "Italian Stallion" who takes a licking and a taste of
the canvas and keeps on fighting back. At the ripe young age of 60, Mr.
Stallone, who directed and wrote this latest film which opens today 30 years
after John G. Avildsen's initial film -- for which Mr. Stallone wrote and won an
Oscar -- rides off into the sunset with it. "Rocky Balboa" is a
surprisingly good, thoroughly engaging and warmly heartfelt final venture.
This new film still has that classic 1976 feel.
Rocky is in the twilight of his years. He has his memories of past glories
and past disappointments. The impact of the loss of Adrian, his dearly
departed wife still echoes deeply within, haunting his reverie and filling him
with all the lingering sadness that the exit of a spouse can be expected to.
He is now restaurateur and owner of Adrian's Restaurant in his hometown of South
Philadelphia where he proudly and endlessly regales his diners with tales of his
boxing legend on a nightly basis. Weathered, but still very much a
muscular presence, Rocky gets the comfort of knowing that his diners enjoy the
stories, even if the changing neighborhood gives the one-time hero little
respect.
If "Rocky Balboa" stopped here it would be a classic. The direction,
pacing and dialogue come across as earnestly and as naturally as it can.
Stallone has said that the last Rocky film some 16 or 17 years ago, did not give
the appropriate goodbye. In this new film the hero that audiences
everywhere have been energized by takes every moment to soak it all in and
squeeze all the remaining drops out of this fabled (and faded) boxing franchise
of films.
The boxing -- once the exciting centerpiece of the previous films -- isn't poor
but it is no longer the main attraction. "Rocky Balboa" could have flown
high on memories and fond recollections alone. It does. And in truth
the subplot surrounding whether or not Rocky can beat the current heavyweight
boxing champion Mason "The Line" Dixon (a great name for a boxer, and played
perfectly by one-time boxing champion Antonio Tarver) is not the cliffhanger of
the day. It is about whether Balboa can muster up enough confidence, heart
and will in his ancient bones to show that old guys can fight harder and
stronger. Another way of putting it would be to say that Rocky has faded
memories, fervent desire and Foreman fantasies. Boxing legend and now
big-time celebrity and ad salesman George Foreman was in his late forties back
in 1993 when he famously knocked out heavyweight champion Michael Moorer (who
was some 20-plus years his junior) to dream the impossible dream and win the
heavyweight crown. He retired on top, and in film lore Rocky (and
Sylvester Stallone) does the same with this franchise.
In tried and true "Rocky" tradition, the Stallion (Mr. Stallone) takes a licking
but comes back stronger as he fights Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver).
The exhilaration of "Rocky Balboa" is in its
build up and in the relationships that change in organic and very rapid ways.
Rocky still has a boxer's itch which he must scratch with a boxing glove.
He is anguished, there are remaining demons, questions of what-ifs and how's and
etcetera, etceteras -- all the attendant things that come with the Hollywood
comeback film story. Be that as it may, there is something a little deeper
afoot here. The film's production design is impressive, with the some of
the lesser-traveled and undernourished areas of Philadelphia on full display.
Rundown housing, vacant lots, warts and all, "Rocky Balboa" reminds us of the
title character's humble origins and his blue collar pride -- he's someone that
the world can relate to, just as he relates to the ordinary everyday person.
(There's even a cameo by a certain someone that has us laughing.)
As ever there is the fractious relationship between Rocky and his son Robert
(Milo Ventimiglia), who has *had-it-up-to-here* with having to live beneath the
shadow of his famous father (wasn't that the Michael Douglas-Kirk Douglas schism
of years ago?) The son gives up on his own dreams and the father weighs in
with the time-tested speech about courage and not caring what others think --
which of course is a parallel about Rocky Balboa and what the world thinks and
stigmatizes when it comes to the older population. In a troubled world a
few of us are lucky enough to make it to 60. Mr. Stallone is one of them
and he takes every opportunity to show us that he can still fight the good
fight.
There's the sweet relationship between Balboa, Sr. and "Little Marie",
endearingly portrayed with a cuteness and an innocent sexiness by Geraldine
Hughes, who as Marie is sweet, appealing and seductive without having to be.
(Marie has a son whom Rocky becomes a father figure to.) The conversation
between them as Rocky recalls the bygone days when he used to walk her when she
was a small child around the neighborhood, teems with a tenderness and affection
that warms the heart.
Fondness, not fighting is at the hallmark of "Rocky Balboa" and even if some
audience members get more than a little exuberant (one audience member was heard
shouting, "kill him!, kill him!" during the film's penultimate fight sequences),
"Rocky Balboa" more than achieves what it was meant to: the celebration -- if
not coronation -- of a hugely popular film legend.
Copyright 2006. PopcornReel.com. All Rights Reserved.
"Rocky Balboa" is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for
boxing violence and some language. The film's duration is about one hour
and 40 minutes.
