Reviewed by Ramona Prioleau
Released in 1976, Rocky is a sports drama that stars Sylvester Stallone in the title role. The film follows Rocky Balboa, an Italian American who works for a loan shark in 1970s Philadelphia. Balboa, a low-profile club fighter, has dreams of becoming a major boxer, and when he’s given a chance to square off against World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed (played by legendary character actor Carl Weathers) he trains and prepares as if his life depends on it. In more ways than one, perhaps it does.
Rocky is fun and easy to watch. From the outset, the rags-to-riches of the film is predictable and easy to follow, but it’s never boring. Stallone, a relative unknown at the time of filming, is oddly captivating as the burling, bumbling leading man, but the film’s supporting cast really ensures that there’s never a dull scene or moment. Talia Shire, Rocky’s love interest, and Mickey Goldmill, Rocky’s trainer, share the screen with Stallone in a fantastic way. The primary characters of the film all bounce off each other brilliantly, and the energy the cast brings to every scene can’t help but propel the film forward.
There is no secret now and there was no secret in 1976 that Rocky, as well as the entire nine-movie franchise that has since come from, is simple. The films are full of machismo and hyper-masculinity, of acting without thinking and even acting without feeling. The films are sometimes blindingly patriotic and lack nuance. They are spectacles—well-made, well-acted and well-received—but spectacles all the same. It is not a stretch to say that the Rocky films almost feel propagandic.
If they are nothing else though, they are easy. They are simple. All the problems in Balboa’s life are complex, difficult issues that, in the real world, would require thoughtful and intricate solutions. Poverty, racism, classism, relationships—the film flirts with all these ideas, all these struggles, but it never really focuses on them. It never really suggests a solution. In the world of Rocky, Balboa needs only to keep punching until he hits something. Personal preference will determine whether this is a positive for the film or a drawback.
For some, the single-mindedness of Rocky and its sequels might feel like a missed opportunity. However, for many, the cut-and-dry story of Rocky will be exactly what draws them to the film. It’s a fantasy, of course , that one can fight their way out of all their problems, but it’s a fantasy that sells—you only need to look at the multi-movie franchise that the film has spawned to see that this is a message that audiences don’t seem to be tiring of. In this way, Rocky is an absolute success. It sells viewers the one thing they want when they go to the movies—easy solutions to complex problems, and a happy ending to boot. M
December 2016
