Maybe the worst IMPORTANT movie ever made

Rating: 1/10 (27 July 2007)

Sure, there have been worse films than "Rocky." But probably none that has become such a cultural icon, that consistently makes "Best of" lists, and that so many people are on record as calling "one of the greatest movies ever made." Flabbergasting!!
Everything about this film makes me gag. Start with Stallone, a man who has (to quote the gang at Mystery Science Theater in a different context) "the acting skills of a seriously injured box turtle." (I could add "with a speech impediment.") The characters are of the thinnest grade of cardboard, leaving even decent actors such as Talia Shire floundering helplessly in an effort to bring some realism and conviction to a role where none is possible. The best actor in the film, Burgess Meredith, ends up playing Burgess Meredith.
The plot is the kind of cliché worthy of a couple of 7-year-olds playing boxing in their backyards. ("Let's pretend you're the champion boxer and I'm some guy nobody's heard of who gets to fight you!") The only plot "twist" is having the bout end in a split decision instead of a knockout for the underdog. I'd have been a lot more impressed with the film had Rocky gotten the snot beaten out of him in the first round---more realistic, more thoughtful, and shorter.
The theme music is perfect for this film: a bunch of musical clichés strung together over a pounding rhythm track.
Have I left anything out? Nothing worthwhile, certainly, because there's nothing worthwhile in this movie to begin with. Not the worst film ever made, but by far the most overrated.