By the end it isn't a movie

Rating: 10/10 (12 November 2011)

"Ya wanna come inside?" - Rocky. "No, I gotta go." - Adrian. "I gotta go too. I gotta go to the bathroom." - Rocky.
Rocky does many things right, but one of the biggest things it does exceptionally well is the dialog it packs in. The wit and humor is subtle but necessary in telling this particular story, and it only helps when a little ray of sunlight is shed on a premise so serious.
What can be said about the 1976 film Rocky that hasn't already been said countless times before? That's the greatest challenge in reviewing classics, personally. When I reviewed National Lampoon's Animal House, I found myself often pausing for a long period of time or getting up and walking around contemplating what else to say. Was that it? Only five paragraphs? Surely a film so monumental deserves more than just five paragraphs.
But I digress. It's difficult to review a film that has been seen by everyone, and for you yourself to try and write something unique and fresh about a film so cherished without sounding pretentious is quite a difficult task. Rocky tells the emotional and inspiring parable of an underdog fighter nicknamed "The Italian Stallion" (Stallone) who is thirty and broke, living in the slums getting his face and body beat to hell for barely any money. He forms a relationship with a nerdy pet-shop employee named Adrian (Shire), and is given the opportunity of a lifetime to fight against champion fighter Apollo Creed (Weathers).
Motivated by Adrian, and trained by her brother Paulie (Young), Rocky continues to become more confident in his abilities but at times faces a dark sense of realism that he might not be able to take on the champion. Rocky's training sequence is occupied by the instantly recognizable and famed theme song of the film that only adds to the emotion in the film.
The character Rocky is effortlessly likable and as charismatic as any movie hero should be. What makes him so likable is his persistency and his devotion to becoming more than an underdog, but a true winner in the ring and in life. He's thirty, down and out in Philly, and knows he can do better. Adrian and Paulie prove it to him.
Consider the impact of the scene where Rocky climbs up The Philadelphia Museum of Art staircase to the Rocky theme song. When he finally gets to the top he runs around in circles while repeatedly throwing his arms up in satisfaction. Combined with the music, a fantastic feature to the film, it only assists a great scene and proves that even simple training sequences can be brought to full effect. The scene has spawned numerous other people imitating the event, and a Stallone statue was even placed at the top of the staircase years after.
When we get to the actual fight we are fully immersed in the story. It doesn't seem like a film anymore, but the fight itself might as well be a real-life Pay-Per-View event on Television. We've spent so much time with the character Rocky, and so little time away from him it's not that we can't help but love him, but truly want to see him triumph over Creed.
Actor and writer Sylvester Stallone went around parading the script of Rocky to numerous studios and was turned down multiple times. Mainly because no one really knew how it would turnout. When you think about it, Rocky was one of the first, if not the first, dramatic boxing film released. Expectations were uncertain, but it soon became one of the most successful films in history grossing over $225 million against a $1 million budget. Stallone went on to make five sequels, and has been remembered for his role as the lovable boxer for years. Decades later it still holds up. And Rocky is still one of the most loved and respected underdogs ever filmed.
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Burgess Meredith, Talia Shire, Burt Young, and Carl Weathers. Directed by: John G. Alvidsen.