Let the overacting begin!

Rating: 6/10 (8 December 2008)

As I got to Part 5, I was amazed that none of the Rocky movies were bad. Part 5 is the weakest of the entire series, but in a series this long there are almost always at least one or two that are just train wrecks, but the only really bad thing about Rocky 5 is that Stallone overacts so much. There is a definite feeling that by now we understand the majority of Rocky's life as an amateur and then professional boxer. By this point, it's not hard to watch the movie feeling like you know him personally.
I think what made the Rocky movies so good and the Rambo movies so bad is that Rocky is just an incredibly likable person, while Rambo was tragically born without a shred of personality.
It seems that Paulie has unknowingly signed over power of attorney to their accountant, who did a little gambling with the Balboas' money thinking he could win big and then return it before they even knew it was gone, and ultimately they end up losing millions. They are forced to sell everything and basically start over back in the same neighborhood where Rocky lived before he fought Apollo Creed.
Thankfully, the son has been recast after they cast that goofy white kid in Part 4, although now he's a rich, geeky, spoiled punk. He has become accustomed to living the good life and sinks into depression when they have to sell all of their material possessions and revert back to the sad life that his father grew up in. When they move to the bad neighborhood his naiveté makes me think of an ignorant prince gleefully attempting to mingle with the common folk, thinking maybe he can make friends with them by commenting on how charming and cute their poor lifestyle is. Dumbass.
Soon Rocky is preoccupied with a promising and ambitious young boxer that he meets one day on the street corner. His son is preoccupied with the punks that keep beating him up at school but Rocky never seems to have time for him anymore because he's putting so much time and energy into training this new guy, curiously named Tommy Gunn. Unfortunately, things pretty soon begin to go south when the press keeps labeling Tommy "Rocky's Pupil," "Clone," "Robot," etc.
The conflict of the film is centered on Rocky not allowing Tommy to fight for George Washington Duke, a major boxing promoter who wants to make Tommy his next protégé. The problem is that the conflict comes from Rocky telling Tommy that Duke doesn't care about him, he only wants to make money off him and then throw him away when he's no good anymore, but in the real world there's really no problem with Tommy fighting for Duke.
Yeah, Duke has no personal interest in the guy and no emotional connection, but all Tommy wants is a chance at a real career in boxing. He doesn't need a best friend or a father figure, he just wants to get recognized and make some money. And Duke could probably make that happen a lot better than Rocky could.
But Rocky is Rocky and we love him, so when Tommy disrespects him, taunting him and challenging him to a fight to prove himself once and for all, we want to see Tommy have his ass handed to him. Rocky, meanwhile, has developed neural damage from all the blows to the head that he's received throughout his career, making a prize fight impossible because no doctor is fool enough to give him medical approval to fight.
From there, the movie goes in a slightly different direction. It's not as exciting and big as the previous movies, but is still a good ride. The biggest problem with the movie, however, is the son, who is not only a rich geek but also an arrogant little bastard with no respect for his mother or father or anyone else. He throws a hissy fit on Christmas Day and takes off with his little friend, and soon even shows up wearing this long, dangling earring and talking all tough to his dad. I haven't seen a kid in such need of a good smack since Stallone's other son in Over The Top. WOW.
The problem is that Rocky is too benevolent and too likable, so when his son acts like this, it is only natural to side with Rocky and wish he would just send the little punk off to military school or something, but instead Rocky works to earn his respect. The movie goes in a completely different direction than the previous films and is noticeably less impressive, but the heart's in the right place and when it comes to Rocky movies, that's the most important thing