Rockython: A Review of "Rocky"

Give me a hug, Philly!

Yo Adrian! I'm pulling a sweeeeeerve. Ha. *Self-high-fives*. So anyway, I'm taking a break from ranking the Star Wars movies here to review another film series I used be absolutely bonkers obsessed with. With this coronavirus outbreak, a lot of us are spending much longer at home, sometimes not leaving for days on end. Those of us blessed enough to be able to work from home are also cursed in a sense, as now you have to worry about what to watch in the background in the silence of your own apartment or house so that you can remain productive. Me? I can't stand working in the dead silence, so I have to have something on in the background. TV shows and movies it is, but with this extended stay, I had to start going deep into my collection and dusting off some films I haven't watched in a coon's age. One movie series I've rediscovered is Rocky.

"Yeah I tried out for the Flyers, but they said I should
make a living getting my head smacked around elsewhere."

Rocky is the story of a local, underpaid club-fighter named Rocky Balboa, shunned by the shy Adrian and used as an enforcer for a loan shark. Down on his luck, getting his face kicked in for slim wages, Rocky's life turns around when he's approached by a fight promoter who offers him the chance to fight reigning heavyweight champion Apollo Creed for the title. Rocky then trains his heart out, under the watchful eye of the aged, gritty boxing gym owner Mickey Goldmill. The movie was based on the real-life fight between reigning heavyweight champion of the world, Muhammad Ali, who chose to defend the title against the unknown fighter Chuck Wepner, only known at that point as the man who bled easily from his brow. "The Bayonne Bleeder" surprised everyone by going the fifteen round distance with Ali before his corner stopped the fight with nineteen seconds to go. Ali would retain the title, but Wepner's performance would not go unnoticed... as then-unknown actor Sylvester Stallone wrote the script for Rocky based on the fight... and the movie would go on to win the Oscar for Best Picture that year. So what made the first Rocky such a masterpiece? Let's take dive in and take a look at one of my favorite sports movies of all time.

"Geez Rocky, you look like you hit on
Chuck Norris's wife."

In 1975, the heavyweight boxing world champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) announces plans to hold a title bout in Philadelphia during the upcoming United States Bicentennial in 1976. However, he is informed five weeks from the fight date that his scheduled opponent is unable to compete due to an injured hand. With all other potential replacements booked up or otherwise unavailable, Creed decides to spice things up by giving a local contender a chance to challenge him. Creed selects Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a journeyman southpaw boxer who fights primarily in small gyms and works as a collector for a loan shark, Tony Gazzo (Joe Spinell). Rocky meets with promoter George Jergens (Thayer David) under the presumption that Creed is seeking local sparring partners. Reluctant at first, Rocky eventually agrees to the fight which will pay him $150,000. Rocky undergoes several weeks of unorthodox training, such as using sides of beef as punching bags.

"So I'll punch you twice then you can hit me back."
"BRO THIS AIN'T PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING."

Rocky is later approached by Mickey "Mighty Mick" Goldmill (Burgess Meredith), a grouchy old man and former bantamweight fighter turned trainer whose gym Rocky frequents, about training him further. Rocky is not willing initially, as Mickey has not shown much interest in helping him before and sees him as a wasted talent, but eventually accepts the offer. Meanwhile, Rocky begins to build a romantic relationship with Adrian Pennino (Talia Shire), who is working part-time at a pet store, culminating in a kiss. Adrian's brother, Paulie (Burt Young), becomes jealous of Rocky's success, but Rocky placates him by agreeing to advertise the meatpacking business Paulie works for as part of the upcoming fight. The night before the fight, a sleepless Rocky visits the Philadelphia Spectrum and begins to lose confidence. He confesses to Adrian that he does not believe he can win, but strives to go the distance against Creed, which no other fighter has done, to prove himself to everyone. By this point in the movie, you're practically begging Rocky to win. Everything that has transpired in the movie builds your relationship with him and now, you feel like you're watching a close personal friend go into the ring for the fight of his life, and you'd give anything to help him win.

"Hey Rock, is there anything in my teeth?"
"Hey, yo! You must use Colgate or somethin'."

On New Year's Day, the fight is held with Creed making a dramatic entrance dressed as George Washington... and then Uncle Sam. Taking advantage of his overconfidence, Rocky knocks him down in the first round, which is the first time that Creed has ever been knocked down. Humbled and worried, Creed takes Rocky more seriously for the rest of the fight, though his ego never fully fades. The fight goes on for the full fifteen rounds, with both combatants sustaining various injuries. Rocky, with hits to the head and swollen eyes, tells Mickey to cut his right eyelid so that he can open it again and use it. Apollo, with internal bleeding and a broken rib, struggles to breathe. As the fight concludes, Creed's superior skill is countered by Rocky's apparently unlimited ability to absorb punches, and his dogged refusal to go down. Despite a three-minute round only lasting fifty-nine seconds on screen, the final round bell sounds, with both fighters locked in each other's arms, they promise to each other that there will be no rematch. The sportscasters and the audience go wild. Jergens announces over the loudspeaker that the fight was "the greatest exhibition of guts and stamina in the history of the ring", and Rocky calls out repeatedly for Adrian, who runs down and comes into the ring as Paulie distracts arena security. Adrian and Rocky embrace and profess their love to each other as Jergens declares Creed the winner by virtue of a split decision, not caring about the result of the fight.

"Hey yo, Paulie, did you cut the cheese?"
"Yeah, Rocky; it's called 'Brie'."

Famously, producers Irwin Winkler and Robert "Bob" Chartoff bought the script from then-newcomer Sylvester Stallone with the predication that he star in it. Unable to secure a big budget because of this, MGM gave the filmmakers only one million dollars to film the entire movie if Stallone was going to star. The movie ended up costing only $1.1 million to make, and the extra $100,000 in funds came from Winkler and Chartoff mortgaging their houses to take a chance on the film. It's an underdog story both in front and behind the cameras. Not a lot of people believed in the movie, either. Burgess Meredith got the part of Mickey because the other actors they considered for the role were insulted that Sylvester Stallone wanted them to read for it. During production, Stallone was only bringing in $36/week as an usher and was forced to sell his dog because he couldn't afford to feed it. That same dog plays Butkus in the movie, the dog Adrian brings for Rocky. What would happen? It would become the highest grossing film of 1976 and win the Oscar for Best Picture that year as well.

I love Rocky. While it has been quite some time since I sat down and watched any of them, the whole COVID-19 quaratine we find ourselves in seems to bring all of the old gems off the shelf. The acting is superb, the story is timeless, the characters are so enthralling and even for 1976, many of its traits and behaviors hold up today. The final fight is mid-tier level considering the fights we get in later Rocky movies, but its a lot like the first lightsaber duel in Star Wars; simple, but effective. It's filmed dark and barely lit, with what looks like a single spotlight beaming down onto Stallone and Weathers as Apollo and Rocky have their heavyweight championship bout. This movie even popularized the "training montage", a series of clips spliced together to show a character preparing for a final battle along with some catchy music... in this case, Bill Conti's composition "Gonna Fly Now", which has been both tributed and parodied in the years since. Stallone took a chance on his own underdog story in 1976, and by 2020, he's played Rocky Balboa seven more times... including two Creed spin-offs where his character plays the mentor. Rocky Balboa is as close to Stallone as Stallone is to him. The two are nigh inseparable.

If you get a chance during the quarantine, sit down and give Rocky a try. It's one of those perfect sports movies and hey, if you like it, that's seven more movies you can try. That should help pass the time, am I right? Big franchises with multiple sequels like this one are just what the doctor ordered for this pandemic.