Rocky Balboa (movie)
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Rocky Balboa is a 2006 film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Columbia Pictures, and Revolution Studios, written by, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone as underdog boxer Rocky Balboa. It is the sixth and final film in the Rocky series, which began with the Oscar-winning Rocky thirty years earlier in 1976. The film portrays Balboa in retirement, a widower living in Kensington, Philadelphia, and the owner and operator of an Italian restaurant in the city called "Adrian's," named after his late wife.
Rocky Balboa was produced as the final sequel to the Academy Award-winning Rocky. According to Sylvester Stallone, he was "negligent" in the production of Rocky V and it left him, and many of the fans, disappointed with the presumed end of the series. Stallone also mentioned that the storyline of Rocky Balboa parallels his own struggles and triumphs in recent times.
In addition to Stallone, the film stars Burt Young as Paulie, Rocky's brother-in-law, and Antonio Tarver as Mason Dixon, the heavyweight division champion in the film. It also features the return of two minor characters from the original movie into larger roles in this film: Marie, the young woman that Rocky attempts to steer away from trouble; and Spider Rico, the first opponent that Rocky is shown fighting in the original movie. The film also holds many references to people and objects from previous installments in the series, especially the first.
The film exceeded box office expectations and critical reaction was positive, with several critics also calling it the “best since the original.”
[edit] Synopsis
Rocky Balboa picks up in present-day Philadelphia, where Rocky, a local celebrity, is living in a row house in Kensington (a deleted scene reveals that Paulie has been living with him in a downstairs bedroom). His wife Adrian has died (due to "woman cancer," in 2002), and Rocky has retired to become owner of a small but successful Italian restaurant, Adrian's. He charms his patrons with stories of his past. Rocky visits his late wife's grave site regularly, and embarks on a yearly tour of Philadelphia landmarks that held importance to him and Adrian, including his old apartment and the pet shop where Adrian worked. His brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young) joins him on this tour, but does so at great personal pain because, in his opinion, he did not treat Adrian well during her life. Rocky counters this claim by reminding Paulie that Adrian loved him as well.
Rocky's son, Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), is the opposite of Rocky - a buttoned-down, corporate-minded businessman who is trying to carve out his own place in a very different world. Rocky's relationship with Robert is strained because Robert has always had to live under the shadow of his famous father; he even believes that the only reason he was hired for his latest job was because of his last name. But it is through the course of the movie that we see the relationship mend itself through Rocky's admonishment to his son that his life is his own and he must be willing to take the chances necessary for an opportunity to succeed.
During the tour of Rocky's life with Adrian, Rocky reunites with "Little" Marie, who was last seen in the original film. Marie works as a bartender, and has a son, Stephenson (nicknamed "Steps"; James Francis Kelly III). Rocky's friendship with Marie blossoms and gives him the strength and confidence he needs to succeed in what is to come. He also develops a close relationship with Marie's son, Steps. Steps is a youth growing up with no father figure in his life, as his father left Marie when he was younger, and hangs out on the streets of Philadelphia late at night. Rocky, seeing a youth who's heading for a life of trouble, takes the youth under his wing. Rocky offers Steps a chance to work with him on weekends, and even takes Steps with him to the dog pound, where Rocky gets a dog. Steps first says he would name the new dog "Fleabag," and then recommends the name "Punchy." Punchy is not the most attractive dog in the world, but Rocky sees a reflection of himself in the animal: an aging creature who still has one fight left in him. Eventually, Steps becomes one of Rocky's cornermen.
ESPN broadcasts a show titled "Then and Now," hosted by Brian Kenny. It portrays a computer simulation of a fight between Rocky in his prime and the current heavyweight champion, Mason Dixon. It is likened to a modern-day version of The Super Fight, a simulation between Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano that took place in 1970. In the Balboa-Dixon simulation, Balboa is predicted to have won KO13, a fact that riles the champion. Dixon's promoters E.C. Luco and Lou DiBella try to sell Dixon on the idea of a fight with Balboa as a way to endear him to the public. It would be a win-win charity fight, where Dixon could not only endear the public as a humanitarian, but also please fight fans who would be able to see that Dixon would easily defeat the aging icon that is Rocky Balboa.
Rocky is battling his own demons, and he feels that if he got back into boxing on a small level, he might be able to exorcise those demons. His application for a license is initially denied, however, until he pleads his case before the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. His license is eventually granted. Dixon's promoters approach Rocky at his restaurant to pitch the fight with Dixon. Ultimately, Rocky accepts the fight, as it is pitched as a charity exhibition match. Rocky returns to his old trainer, "Duke" Evers (Tony Burton). Duke tells Rocky that, since his body is much too old and beginning to deteriorate, he cannot train for speed. Instead, Rocky must train to build power ("buildin' some hurtin' bombs").
The actual bout is a back-and-forth affair. Dixon dominates for the first round and the first half of the second round, but midway through the second round, he injures his hand on a mis-timed punch to Rocky's left hip. This allows Rocky to move in and pummel Dixon for the remainder of the round, even knocking him down. The remainder of the fight up to the end of the tenth round is shown in cut-scenes, with Rocky out-performing Dixon due to his injured hand for the next three. In the tenth round (or, as Paulie says to Rocky, "the last round of [his] life!"), it appears Dixon now has a measure of respect for Rocky, stating "You're one crazy old man" just prior to the start of the round, to which Rocky replies "You'll get there." At first it appears that Dixon will outlast the tired Balboa, with Dixon out-performing Balboa. A hard hook sends Rocky to a knee, where he has a flashback to a moment he had with his son only a few weeks prior. He remembers the lesson of perseverance that he gave to Robert along with memories of Adrian, and in this, Rocky finds the strength to continue. He fights back against Dixon for the remainder of the round; the fighters end up trading punches in the center of the ring, with Balboa landing the last few hits of the fight.
As a salute to the first film, Rocky loses the fight in a split decision (in the alternate ending, it is Rocky who wins by split decision). However, he exits the arena as the decision is read - the outcome does not matter to him. It is the mere fact that he went the distance with a much younger and faster opponent that has helped Rocky to drive out the demons inside. The movie ends with Rocky speaking at Adrian's graveside; and says to her the famous line from Rocky II which he said to Adrian when winning the Boxing World Championship from Apollo Creed in their rematch, "Yo, Adrian, we did it." He leaves a bouquet of roses on her headstone, kisses it, and walks away. As the film (and series) concludes, the final image sees Rocky, in a distance, waving to Adrian's grave (and, in effect, the audience) before finally fading out himself. The credits roll next to real-life footage of individuals running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and finally ending with Rocky running up the steps one last time as the credits freeze with a background of Rocky facing outward from the museum.
