Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa, the sixth and final installment of the Rocky franchise, has all the bruised, bulky, bone-headed charm that one would expect from a film in this series. Sylvester Stallone returns to close out his iconic underdog story and salvage his most beloved character from the ruins of the much maligned Rocky V. Here Stallone reinvents Rocky as a charming old fogy with a love for nostalgia. He spends his time hanging out at his local Philadelphia eatery and telling old fight stories to customers. When not schmoozing, he’s revisiting his old haunts and reliving the old days or visiting his wife’s grave and mourning his losses. Fresh inspiration comes to him when a computerized fight simulator deems him the winner of an imaginary bout with the current heavyweight champion, Mason “The Line” Dixon (real life fighter Antonio Tarver). As a result, Rocky considers taking on some local fights to help excise the “beast within” and ends up in an actual pay-per-view publicity spectacle with Dixon, his former fantasy opponent.

Even with all the excitement of the grand fight finale, the real core of the film is the inspiration Rocky gives to the underdogs in both his own life and in the world in general. As the main event begins, people who’ve been discounted and pushed around rally behind him and support him against all odds. He is meant as a figure that gives hope to the hopeless and the film capitalizes on this to great effect. Rocky’s victory is not so much about what he does in the ring as it is about how he makes people everywhere truly believe in something. Despite its clichés and uncouth demeanor, there’s no way of escaping the fact that this film really excels at captivating and motivating its audience without going over the top. It’s a celebratory film, but it’s never too sensationalistic. Of all the eager to excite underdog sports films in recent memory, this is definitely one of the most well-rounded ones. Stallone keeps a level head and a steady hand, making for a film that is self-congratulatory but still humble. His passion for the story is undeniable and there’s just no way of getting around the fact that Rocky will always be a much loved character in our culture. He represents the timeless ideal that a good heart and ample endurance is all you need overcome any obstacle in life and who doesn’t want to believe that?

Grade: B+