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Review #345 of 365
Movie Review of Rocky Balboa (2006) [PG] 102 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.00
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 22 December 2006
Time: 10:40 p.m.
Film's Official Website
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone (Rocky IV)
Written by: Sylvester Stallone (Cliffhanger )
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Sylvester Stallone (Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over) • Burt Young (Transamerica) • Antonio Tarver (debut) • Geraldine Hughes (Duplex) • Milo Ventimiglia ("Heroes")
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Candidly, I stopped following the Rocky series after the first one. I wasn't that into boxing movies, and I just didn't get why other people were. But even I had to admit that I was intrigued to see how Sylvester Stallone was going to bring Rocky back for a sixth time and make a credible film. Most compellingly, there is much about the return of Rocky Balboa that could be equally applied to the return to the big screen of writer / director / actor, Mr. Stallone himself.
Things to like right off the glove:
- This film is as much a tribute to the previous films and fans of the previous films as it is resurrection.
- The music
- The retro feel
- Milo Ventimiglia as Rocky, Jr.
Things not to like right off the glove:
- Antonio Tarver's character Mason Dixon
- The gaps in Rocky's eyebrows
- Talia Shire is gone
No sooner had the film started and I got used, again, to Sylvester Stallone's Philly Cheesesteak accent, did I become enchanted with the story. This is not the traditional Rocky story layout. It advances beyond where the other films were limited because it addresses what happens to sports legends when their very existence becomes a cliché: they are 'put out to pasture', they become 'dinosaurs', 'been there, done that'.
Mr. Stallone has written and directed a careful and loving tribute to his characters and created a film that is sentimental, loyal, and unforgiving adding to the Rocky legend in an inspirational way. Some of the time, it seems he was searching for the perfect one-liner, and though he came up with several ones that are pretty close, nothing really rang trough or resonated to the degree necessary to become a national catch phrase. Absolutely, however, despite the trappings and the baggage that had to be overcome, the film stands out among its predecessors as one that comes more closely to the feeling of the original film. The film possesses qualities that prove it embraces the qualities, hopes, and dreams of its creator and draw back, if they take the risk in seeing it, a couple of new generations of young people to the Rocky stable.
Rocky, now owner of a little restaurant near his childhood haunts, called of course Adrian's, spends his evenings telling stories of his glory days to mesmerized diners, while working to keep his restaurant in the black. Meanwhile, Rocky's son, now all grown up and played by Milo Ventimiglia, has tired of living in his legendary father's shadow leading him to a somewhat icy relationship with his pop and very confused what to do with his life. Both topics serve the story well and increase the depth beyond the build up to the inevitable boxing match. The boxing match in question comes about when a cable sports channel's computer-driven sequence predicts that the younger version of Rocky would win were he actually in a fight with the present-day, World Super Heavy Weight Champ, Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver). This computer fight gets everyone thinking: Rocky about a comeback, Mason Dixon's managers about a way to make his career and money-making machine relevant again, and Rocky Jr. because he's convinced his father has lost his mind. An impassioned plea to the boxing license board gets Rocky the necessary license to duke it out with Mason Dixon in what becomes billed as the exhibition match of the century. Meanwhile, to further the side stories: Rocky runs into a younger woman, Marie (Geraldine Hughes) whom he once tried to coach away from smoking when she was a kid, who is now grown up and raising an adolescent son by herself. Rocky is drawn to her emotionally and insists on helping her and her son overcome their station in life. Paulie (Burt Young) is back, as well, and full of vim and vigor as he tries to keep Rocky on the straight and narrow while battling demons of his own.
" Mr. Stallone has written and directed a careful and loving tribute to his characters and created a film that is sentimental, loyal, and unforgiving adding to the Rocky legend in an inspirational way."
Mr. Stallone has written and directed a careful and loving tribute to his characters and created a film that is sentimental, loyal, and unforgiving adding to the Rocky legend in an inspirational way. Some of the time, it seems he was searching for the perfect one-liner, and though he came up with several ones that are pretty close, nothing really rang trough or resonated to the degree necessary to become a national catch phrase. Absolutely, however, despite the trappings and the baggage that had to be overcome, the film stands out among its predecessors as one that comes more closely to the feeling of the original film. The film possesses qualities that prove it embraces the qualities, hopes, and dreams of its creator and draw back, if they take the risk in seeing it, a couple of new generations of young people to the Rocky stable.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Rocky Balboa (2006)
Cast Members
Sylvester Stallone
• Burt Young • Antonio TarverGeraldine Hughes
• Milo VentimigliaWriter / Director
Sylvester Stallone
| CD Soundtrack | ||
| Related Product |
| Rocky Balboa Baseball Cap | Rocky Balboa Baseball Cap |
| Rocky Balboa Coffee Mug | Rocky Balboa Memorabilia Set |
Rocky Balboa (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
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