Celebrating Stallone's Birthday with Rocky (1976)

There are few men who can affect a generation, and few films can do the same. Sylvester Stallone is one of those men, and Rocky is one of those films. And today, July 6th, just so happens to be Sylvester Stallone's birthday! What better way to celebrate that than to watch the movie that made him a legend? Yes it's true, I've never seen Rocky, or any of the sequels for that matter. So after this one, will I want to watch all the rest? Fair warning, there will be spoilers after the jump!


Rocky is about a down on his luck, aging boxer. He's already past his prime at 30 and he's starting to show his age in his fights. His only real ambition in life is to impress the shy girl who works at the pet shop. But all that is changed when the World Heavyweight Champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) picks him out of all the boxers Philadelphia to be the one and only man to get a shot at the Heavyweight Championship. You see, Creed's original challenger is put out with a hand injury, but Creed wants to put on a big show anyways, and decides to stage the fight to make it look like anyone, even a nobody, can have a shot at the "American Dream".

I've seen so many things about this movie yet I've known so little. I only remember seeing part of his training montage, but I've heard the song a hundred times. I've also seen a short clip of Rocky screaming "Adrian!!" but I really didn't know why he was shouting that. I knew it must have been a girl, but was he trying to prove something? Was he sad when he shouted it? I didn't know anything. Finally my questions are answered and everything was put in perspective.

I'm sorry I haven't seen your movie until now! Don't hit me!

I think what makes Rocky a great film is primarily due to two things; the characters, and The Fight. I really liked the character of Rocky Balboa and how honest and sincere he came across. I really believed in him and his training montage was something to behold in full and in context of the film. I was at first stunned to find out that the legendary Adrian (Talia Shire) that I've heard Rocky shout about so many times was a pet shop nerd. What was even more surprising is how much she transforms through the course of the movie, not just in looks, but in personality. Her brother Paulie (Burt Young) and Rocky's trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith) weren't the most likable people, but they have their moments too.

The fighting in the movie, at first, was a real let down. That first match Rocky has against Spider Rico was pretty rough. There are a lot of "hits" that never actually hit, and it's pretty obvious. Going in to this, I didn't really know what to expect, but clearly this is just how they had to stage the fights for the film, and sometimes the camera angles betrayed it. However, sometimes the shots really looked like they connected, and hard! By the time the main fight against Apollo Creed came around, and seeing Rocky beat the crap out of sides of beef and really hit hard in his training, I was a believer! By that point, it didn't matter if it looked like the shots didn't hit, I felt them hit. It didn't matter if I saw they never connected, because I believed that they connected. I wanted Rocky to go the distance just as much as he did!

Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed

The real prize of the film comes at the ending. Rocky isn't able to take Creed down, but he does go all 15 rounds and is still standing. All he wanted was to prove that a nobody could be somebody, and he did what no man has ever done, and that was to go the distance against Apollo Creed. In the end, all he cares about though is his girlfriend Adrian, and as soon as the fight is over he calls her name.

He can't see, he can barely stand, but the only thing on his mind is her. As the reporters and people fill the ring taking photos and asking questions, amongst all the chaos you can just barely hear in the background that the decision comes down 7-8 in favor of Apollo. But just as they say that, Adrian has fought her way through the crowds, and jumps into Rocky's arms declaring that she loves him. It's at that moment, you realize that he was the real winner that night, and he is a Champ after all, even without the belt.

Training Montage!

All Rocky ever wanted, from the very beginning of the film, wasn't to be a champion, or be better than he was. All he wanted was Adrian. I was stunned to realize how happy I found myself after watching him basically lose the match. The whole film is about training for the big fight, and some might think that a win in the ring is what this movie is about, but it isn't. If you're like me and you've never seen Rocky then you really should do yourself a favor and check it out. Of course, if you haven't seen it yet and you're reading this, then I've just spoiled the whole thing for you. In any case, watch it, or go watch it again. It was a great film and I'm looking forward to the rest.