Rocky Balboa - A Review

First off when I heard about this movie, I thought this was really a bad idea. I loved the first Rocky movie, Rocky II was okay, Rocky III had some great lines in it and was fun, Rocky IV sucked and Rocky V I never managed to watch on TV all the way through. So when I heard Rocky VI was being made I said no way I would want to see it. Then I saw the trailer and said I need to see this movie.

It was a really good movie. It was true to the first Rocky movie and it didn't try to be anything more then what it was. It was about a man getting older who had lost his wife, had a slightly strained relationship with his grown son and was still coming to terms with what his life was at 50 plus.

The vast majority of the movie is about Rocky and his life before trying to fight again. It shows him building a friendship with a woman and her son, his relationship with Pauly, working at his restaurant and showing the compassion and the heart of the character Rocky. The training and the fight are all standard Rocky fare, but are not the core of the movie and only encompass a small part of the movie.

The premise of the fight is that Rocky goes 10 rounds in an exhibition match with the current champ. The going 10 rounds is a little ridiculous, but it is the message of the movie and the spirit of the character that stays with you. The outcome of the fight is actual meaningless. The fact that he did it one last time is not.

A really great ending for this character and a well done film, that does not over reach and delivers a really good message and you leave the movie felling upbeat and ready to take on the world. Worth the $9.

Grade B