Movie Title: Rocky Balboa
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Writer: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia, Geraldine Hughes, Tony Burton, James Francis Kelly III, Lou DiBella
Review: Now long-retired, Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) runs a Philadelphia eatery and mourns the loss of his beloved wife, Adrian. Yearning to recapture a bit of his glory days, he plans to re-enter the ring for a few low-profile, local matches. All that changes when Rocky accepts a challenge to fight the world's reigning heavyweight champion, Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver). Debuting 16 years after Rocky V, I didn't really know what to expect from Rocky Balboa. I was pleasantly surprised to find a great script with a captivating story that evoked real human emotion. We find Rocky as a widower who seemingly has had a hard time getting over the loss of his beloved wife, Adrian (Talia Shire). Rocky's son, Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), is growing tired of living in the large shadow cast down by his father, and is finding it hard to make his own way in the world. This movie plays out as one big metaphor for perseverance on many levels. In a scene where Rocky is talking to his son, he says, "You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." This sentiment is established as a motif throughout the entire film. Can Rocky move forward after losing his wife? Can Robert carve his own path in life? Can Paulie (Burt Young) be at peace with the fact that his sister is gone, and being unable to change the past? Can Mason Dixon prove his naysayers wrong despite being at the top of the boxing world? All of these characters encounter this inner struggle against life. I applaud this film for returning to the roots of the original Rocky film, abandoning the overuse of punchy montages in favor of real human drama and character development. If you found yourself skeptical of this film after the bad taste left by Rocky V, you're not alone. It's even said that Sylvester Stallone made this film because he felt the same way about how the series had previously ended. No matter what, do yourself a favor and watch this film. I highly recommend this very welcomed addition to the Rocky film series!
Fun Fact: The championship belts used in the movie were actually those of Antonio Tarver, who played Mason "The Line" Dixon. If you look closely in the scene where Steps is looking over Rocky's memorabilia, you'll see on the WBC Championship Belt photos of Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, and two of its owner - Antonio Tarver.