It's about life!

Rating: 10/10 (16 August 2018)

What makes a great film? Engaging characters, immersive story line, brilliant editing, fantastic music, an experience you can revisit again and again. Rocky has all of this and more.
When it comes to performance I honestly do not know where Rocky starts and Sylvester Stallone ends. Stallone did not just play this character he conceived, created and crafted it. This is not method acting this goes way beyond that.
What is this film about? Loneliness, love, self-respect, poverty, heartache, shyness, chance, pride, friendship, boxing? It is about life!
Rocky is a downtrodden character, in the words of Mickey (Burgess Meredith) Rocky is a bum, a loser, he had talent but never applied it. Rocky does not see this, he lives his life, he has some boxing skills which he puts to use in the occasional low-key cash fights and working as a money collector for the local crime lord. Rocky has the physical attributes for the debt collecting job but deep down he has a soft heart. He is not the smartest guy but ultimately he is a good guy.
Rocky is friends with Paulie (Burt Young) who is a deeply flawed character. Unlike Rocky he has a chip on his shoulder at life and the cards he has been dealt. Paulie has a sister Adrian (Talia Shire) that has not had an easy life either. She is painfully shy and introverted. Adrian works at the local pet shop which Rocky visits often. Rocky tries to make conversation and get to know her. The courtship between Adrian and Rocky is awkward at times but has a reality and sweetness that is undeniable. Rocky and Adrian eventually date.
Rocky's life is on a nowhere trajectory until out the blue his name is selected by Apollo Creed (Carl weathers) the heavy weight champion of the world as a publicity stunt. Apollo Creed wants to stage a boxing event where a lowly ranked amateur boxer gets a chance to fight for the title, "The American dream". Initially stunned and unwilling to take on this challenge, Rocky does not feel he is worthy or capable of this. Mickey eventually persuades Rocky to take this once in a lifetime chance. And so begins the rest of the film. Cue training montage.
Rocky works on many levels, that is why bit is such a fantastic film. The characters have a human naivety and poignancy that resonates. The editing and music are sublime in parts. It is a film I will watch again and again and appreciate more each time.