Because It's Rocky! (Part 1)
The other day, I was talking to the kids at the church and asked the question, "Any of you going to see the Rocky movie when it comes out?" Of course, none of them are more than 16-17 years old, so there was an inherent risk in asking them about seeing a movie saga whose first five chapters were completed before many of them were even born. However, armed with the knowledge that Rocky had long ago achieved iconic status and remembering that TNT typically shows all five of the previous movies about once every 6-8 hours, I felt sure that they would have at the very least a passing knowledge of the movie.
I am indebted to a young man named Philip that was in attendance at the youth group meeting for summing up what was difficult for me to fathom and come to grips with as to why I know that no matter what, I will go and see Rocky Balboa. He said, "Yeah, you gotta go see it ... because it's Rocky!" Philip's ... well, I suppose she is his girlfriend ... Jessalyn looked at him as though he had a spare hand growing out of the center of his forehead. His profound logic, undeniably crystal clear to me, made no sense to her. Would the movie be good? Who knows? Would there be a cacophony of cluttered cliches about boxing and life? Undoubtedly. So what is it about movie, starring a sixty-year-old man as an aging boxer looking for one more fight, that makes me confident that I will go and see this movie? Because it's Rocky!
I have, in a previous blog, briefly talked about this movie as well as the other installments of the series. To refresh the perspective I have on these movies here is a brief synopsis. If, while browsing the program guide of my television with nothing better to do, I see a Rocky movie running, here are my typical responses:
Is Rocky going to die in the movie? Everyone is hush-hush about it so I presume he will and when it happens, I will most likely get a little teary because he is a hero of my generation. Sure, I know Rocky is not real (even if Stallone is confused about this). He helps us cling to a thought that we all want to believe ... if we just worked hard enough, even seemingly-impossible things could be possible. Who cares if it is a movie? Rocky single-handedly started a movie plot genre ... the loveable loser underdog that time and time again, overcomes the odds to win (Karate Kid, Mighty Ducks, the 1980 US Hockey team ... weren't they all little versions of Rocky?). Sure it is fantasy, but it makes us stand up and cheer for something good and in the end, that is why I go to movies.
By the way, his name was Robert Balboa.
(watch for part II after I go to see the movie next week)
I am indebted to a young man named Philip that was in attendance at the youth group meeting for summing up what was difficult for me to fathom and come to grips with as to why I know that no matter what, I will go and see Rocky Balboa. He said, "Yeah, you gotta go see it ... because it's Rocky!" Philip's ... well, I suppose she is his girlfriend ... Jessalyn looked at him as though he had a spare hand growing out of the center of his forehead. His profound logic, undeniably crystal clear to me, made no sense to her. Would the movie be good? Who knows? Would there be a cacophony of cluttered cliches about boxing and life? Undoubtedly. So what is it about movie, starring a sixty-year-old man as an aging boxer looking for one more fight, that makes me confident that I will go and see this movie? Because it's Rocky!
I have, in a previous blog, briefly talked about this movie as well as the other installments of the series. To refresh the perspective I have on these movies here is a brief synopsis. If, while browsing the program guide of my television with nothing better to do, I see a Rocky movie running, here are my typical responses:
- ROCKY ... If it is near the end of the movie, in the big fight scene, I will watch it secretly still pulling for Rocky to get referee's decision at the conclusion of the fight even though I know it is a movie and thus, will not probably ever change.
- ROCKY II ... Much like the first, if it is near the end, I will completely take it in. If I wander across it in the weird will-Adrian-die-or-live section, I turn it off. Adrian was always a bit of a downer. If you ask me, Rocky settled. Of course no character--save those blown up on steroids, they didn't call him Sly for nothing--changed so vastly throughout the series as did Adrian. If you saw the first movie, she was gawky and sort of overwhelmed by Rocky's character, as though she really didn't like him, but figured this ship was about to sail and there wouldn't be another one coming. I don't think you could have created a more uncomfortable romance than Rocky and Adrian's if you had paired George Jefferson with Laura Ingalls Wilder (in a wildly experimental crossover show of the 1970's I would have called Good Times at the Little House on the Prairie ... why was this show never done?). Yet, by Rocky III she is clearly moving into Erin Brockovich territory as she questions Rocky's heart, his motivation and manhood on that moving beachfront scene. And in Rocky IV, she has clearly become more "over-the-top" in her dramatic outbursts at Rocky and Paulie. Plus, who can forget her icy stare at Bridgette Nielsen during the big fight? (By the way, her name in the movie was Ludmilla ... really, and you get that for free). But in Rocky and Rocky II, Adrian is a major power-down, so I move on if she is involved in the scenes playing at the time.
- ROCKY III ... Okay, first one I watch pretty much whenever I see it listed. Though I rarely watch the whole thing since there are a few slow sections. Of course, I have to turn the channel when Mickey dies; no need to get teared up on a Saturday afternoon. This rates clearly as the most eclectic of the Rocky movies. 2 major fights in the movie instead of the signature 1, Rocky's disturbingly garish yellow silks, training at an inner-city gym which apparently has Olympic sized pool, races on the beach (along Adrian emasculating him on the beach and the Apollo/Rocky grope/man-hug on the beach), and a bigger, more comical role for Paulie (because nothing says loveable funny like a drunk, rude brother-in-law who probably smells like stewed beets). One problem with the movie: Apollo's magnaminous offer to train Rocky makes little sense. Imagine being beat up in front of your whole high school and then, after noticing that guy the who humiliated you is having trouble with math, you offer to tutor him for free ... you know, only if it would help him to be more popular. What does Apollo have to gain? Of course, it does offer us a real-life humorous thought. Consider the idea of Mike Tyson offering to train Evander Holyfield (not to mention their subsequent race on the beach followed by their own groping/man-hug).
- ROCKY IV ... If it is on and I am available, I watch it. Case closed. Still unmatched greatness. Rocky essentially ends the cold war and does it with a hip, new rock soundtrack. Best music of all the Rocky's. Let's see, which Rocky movie had no feature songs from Frank "Rocky's-my-brother-but-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-my-singing-career" Stallone? Oh, that's right ... Rocky IV. Do you think, at family gatherings, Frank ever gets mad and tearfully screams at Sly, "You've always resented my talent ... I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"? Still, his work on John Travolta's movie Stayin' Alive was cutting edge. Rocky IV took us back to the essential Rocky. His best training was when he was all alone. Sure, Mickey made him chase a chicken and Apollo made him swim laps, race on the beach and wear Richard Simmons' shorts, but Rocky always best when he was alone. Whether it was running through Philly (without getting mugged) or racing through waist-deep snow up Mout Kilimanjaro (wait, that's in Tanzania, not Russia ... oh well, you get the point), Rocky's internal drive was stronger than any manager could ever muster. Plus, his final speech to the Russian crowd still makes me laugh. Anyone want to bet there wasn't someone who suggested, "Listen Sly, that last scene ... uh, it's really hokey. Maybe we shouldn't do it." But undaunted, Stallone insists on making a politcal, albeit comically cliched, statement. One of my favorites is "In here there were two guys killin' each other, but I guess that's better than 20 million." You think, in that moment, in the oval office, Ronald Reagan looked over at James Baker and said, "You know, he makes a good point." One other note: Apollo, prior to his sudden death, constantly refers to Rocky as "Stallion." Why did he do this? No one else did it. Rocky was a nickname that pretty much the whole world embraced, so why did Apollo go with the as-I'm-stepping-into-the-ring nickname? This puzzles me. Bonus points for knowing Rocky's real name ... it comes up in Rocky II.
- ROCKY V ... I do not acknowledge this movie. I prefer to have watched it the one time, gouged my eyes out and then never see it again.
Is Rocky going to die in the movie? Everyone is hush-hush about it so I presume he will and when it happens, I will most likely get a little teary because he is a hero of my generation. Sure, I know Rocky is not real (even if Stallone is confused about this). He helps us cling to a thought that we all want to believe ... if we just worked hard enough, even seemingly-impossible things could be possible. Who cares if it is a movie? Rocky single-handedly started a movie plot genre ... the loveable loser underdog that time and time again, overcomes the odds to win (Karate Kid, Mighty Ducks, the 1980 US Hockey team ... weren't they all little versions of Rocky?). Sure it is fantasy, but it makes us stand up and cheer for something good and in the end, that is why I go to movies.
By the way, his name was Robert Balboa.
(watch for part II after I go to see the movie next week)
