Rocky Balboa - 2006
"There's still some stuff in the basement."
In a film chock FULL of quote board material, that's the line which hung with me after the credits. The more I age, the more I get it. This life is transient and fleeting. But what's in us, is in us. And sometimes we feel we've still got some things to work out, to get out of our system so that we can age gracefully and peacefully. For most of us, stepping into the ring as a near geriatric with an undefeated champ half our age isn't the way we'd like to go about it. Then again, Rocky isn't like most of us. This is why we love the guy. He's the everyman who's like no man. We can all relate to him, even if we get to sit back and live vicariously through his charisma and temerity. Here's a man who has bled for the people for three decades. Sounds like someone else I know.
Locating Rocky Balboa properly on the Rocky pantheon has always been an excessively difficult exercise for me. I can give you my I-IV power rankings with little trouble (I don't acknowledge the existence of the dumpster fire that is V). But a thought struck me last night as I was watching this one again. What if this is actually the second best Rocky? No. I cannot even really say I buy it. But, hang with me for a second on this one.
The parallels between this film and the original are striking and notable. Sure, there are the obvious differences. In the first film he's pinching pennies, hardly speaks the language or can read it, and he's an utter unknown. In this one he's way past his prime and has faded into relative obscurity. But he's got a nice restaurant the locals love, and he's still beloved by people as he strolls around his old haunts (It's always walking with Rock. Rarely vehicles).
Beyond this, conceptually the films are structured the same. By this I mean that the vast majority of them are spent OUTSIDE the ring. They focus instead on character-building. Rocky as the good guy who is out to love on and help his neighbors. In this case, Little Marie functions as the surrogate for Adrian. Some of the best moments of the film are Rocky pushing her to embrace her self-worth and let the past go. He employs her and her son, and brings her into his life and "corner." If you're looking for montages and pulse-pounding action, stick with IV. If you're hungry for heart and humanity, this one gets as close to the original as any other.
This, of course, extends to the other key dramatic element of this film, namely Rocky's on-again-off-again relationship with his progeny. You've likely seen the clip a thousand times on YouTube or work trainings scheduled to boost group morale, but it's worth mentioning again. The speech Rocky gives his son in this movie is a top 3 moment in the whole film franchise. It's too long and dynamic and cohesive for me to parse out separately here. Watch it for yourself, and get ready for all the feels. Let's just say Rocky tells Jr. to get his head out of his rear and make a name for himself by discovering who he really is and what he wants to be. He calls him out for living in his father's shadow and challenges him to step up and find his own "voice."
"Ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, ya ain't gonna have a life."
Sorry. I couldn't help myself. It's just too damn good.
Then, of course, there's the final fight. But before that there are a hundred little jokes and witty quips that demonstrate Rocky's aging, the ways the city has changed, and him and Paulie bantering on getting old and defining legacy. It's worth mentioning that this is about the best Paulie you'll ever get in a Rocky movie. He's still cantankerous, sure, but he's also softer around the edges (literally) and a great deal more wizened and lovable. The training speech a gray-mustached Duke (welcome back Tony Burton!) gives Rocky is just another great flourish.
At last then we arrive at the end. Rocky's last stand. And here, I unfortunately have to say, is my one knock on the picture. See, it wants to modernize everything inside the ring. So we get the huge venue, and the digital cameras, and the ring-side analysts. I appreciate the effort. But it kinda takes the magic away from the fights in the other pictures. Kellerman and those guys are just running their mouths (something we've learned he's very good at from ESPN in the time since) and the others are just filling dead air.
I get it. This fight had to be different. It needed to look newer and show the disparities of style and time periods. But it keeps it out of the top of the pantheon for me. Still, the final moments are as dear as the conclusions in any of the rest, and, the viewer will note, the ending bears one more resemblance to the original. I am so glad that Rocky goes out on top (rather than in the pits of V), and the end credit sequence shows us just how permanently this character has been written indelibly on our hearts.
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