Not the Worst of the "Rocky Films"

Rating: 8/10 (25 January 2007)

"Rocky V" premiered in 1990 to awful reviews. I have watched this film at least a dozen times and still cannot understand why some people hate this film. Granted, it's not in the caliber of "Rocky" or even "Rocky II", but it's definitely just as good as "Rocky III". First, the return of Mickey Goldmill in flashback sequences makes this film worth watching. The chemistry between Sylvester Stallone and Burgess Meredith is outstanding and was greatly missed in "Rocky IV". The "Get up, you son a bitch! 'Cause Mickey loves you" speech is simply touching. It's rare when a older man tells a younger man how important he is to him as he is to the younger man. Most child actors are annoying to watch, but Sage Stallone does an admirable job as Rocky's son Robert. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Rocky tries to give a crash course lesson on being "street smart" to his son and reminds him that they have to stick together because they are the "home team". Simple dialog like this adds to the reality of the situation. Father Carmine from "Rocky II" makes a memorable return and it was nice to see Mikey from "Rocky" return to Mick's gym like Spider Rico did in "Rocky Balboa". Here's some information that hasn't been written much. The original actress who played Little Marie from "Rocky" makes a sad cameo that was later edited out of "Rocky V". She became the "whore" that Rocky warned her she would become in the original "Rocky" film if she didn't start hanging out with better people. Talia Shire and Burt Young continued to perform well in their roles as Adrian and Paulie. John Avildsen returns to direct what was originally the last of the Rocky movies. My only problem with "Rocky V" is the silly street fight ending. I think audiences would of rather see the formula of Rocky training and beating Tommy Gunn in the ring. Also the character of George Washington Duke was too over the top for my taste. By the way, the main bully who takes Rocky's son coat is now playing Eric on the HBO series "Entourage".