A "genuine masterpiece" and the greatest Sports movie ever made ...

Rating: 10/10 (11 October 2010)

Every time I visit "Taxi Driver", "Network" or "All The President's Men"'s boards, I find people whining about "Rocky" winning the Best Picture Oscar in 1977. How did "Rocky", a film that is so dull, feel good, old school, stereotypical, manipulative or mass audience appealing (as if that was negative) win over such intelligent masterpieces ? In other words, how could have Stallone beaten Scorsese? Well, maybe because you don't need a complex plot or a dark story conveying the eternal "everything is crap" message told in a monotone voice-over, to have a good movie and Rocky is more than a good movie, it is what I would call a "genuine masterpiece".
"Rocky" features ordinary characters with everyday needs and goals in life and there's an authentic feeling in the movie that touches you deeply in the heart, why so? Because it's not about characters, it's about relationships, Rocky is a lovable dim-witted guy and his friend Paulie is definitely not the nicest guy in the world, but their friendship is so real, that their interaction transcends their flaws and we guys cannot not identify with them. Adrian is a shy, nerdy, and not very attractive girl, but she and Rocky formed one of the most romantic cinematic couples who ever shared the screen. Mickey is a grouchy old man but the father-and-son relationship that'll develop between him and Rocky is particularly touching. And last but not least, Apollo who started as an arrogant show- man, very patronizing with Rocky, ended up respecting him. The relationships in "Rocky" make the movie works emotionally with a believable sincerity. The story is driven by a very simple plot where characters progressively grow on you. We feel for them and we feel for Rocky who's the soul of the film.
"Rocky" gives the average viewer a character to identify with -not an anti-hero à la Travis Bickle whose extreme acts might inspire some nut-cases, no- we have here an ordinary hero, a la George Bailey, who challenges his world in the ring. And that's what makes "Rocky" the greatest sports movie ever made. The movie defines Sport. Sport is the greatest medium 'little guys' can still use to express themselves, to defy the big guys. In sport, no races, no classes, strength is in the heart. Sport is the revenge of the poor, the misfit, the dumb, who sometimes prove that there's kind of wise nobility in the physical effort that all the intelligence of the world can not reach. It's about strength, it's about passion, it's about HEART, and "Rocky" has heart. And maybe that explains why it is one of the most eloquently criticized movies, as if "Taxi Driver" or "Network" ignited the disdain towards "Rocky" twisting the meaning of such beautiful words like honesty, dignity, and humility into its most cynical interpretation : naivety.
But simply because "Rocky" doesn't fill your heart with anger and frustration doesn't make it a naive movie, it's easier to destroy and harder to build, and to build the determination and self-confidence of millions of people all over the world is an extraordinary achievement. And the inspiration comes from this vision of a man who goes through patience, pain and humiliations, and who gets hit so many times without falling that there is something very heroic in the ugliness of his face, as if it was carrying the mark of the nastiness of a world which won't give you what you want if you don't come to fight for it. Yes, "Rocky" is about fighting, fighting the adversity for which the iconic steps represent the most powerful allegory, fighting your own demons, fighting your weaknesses, not fighting with bravery, but fighting despite the fear, fighting at the risk of losing everything except your most precious asset : dignity and winning nothing except your most precious conquest : respect.
And before you call "Rocky" cliché or naive, don't forget it's also a movie about a guy named Stallone, who was like a 'Rocky' in show business who wanted to make a movie about a guy who couldn't never have his break, and finally got the chance of his life, the chance to prove he wasn't a bum  Sly wanted to make this film, and (Yo Adrian!) he did it, and in a few months it was the highest grossing movie of the year, and grabbed the Best Picture Oscar. It's one of the most famous and fascinating box-office success stories, and more than that, it's an inspiration for all the average guys to believe in themselves and to go the distance. Rocky was a million-to-one shot, so was "Rocky".