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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that while this movie is aimed more at adults (particularly longtime Rocky fans) than kids, it's fine for most tweens. The only real concern is the violence; there are several boxing matches, and they get bloody -- especially the final bout between Rocky and Dixon. The fights include aggressive editing and camera movement, as well as both slow- and regular-motion images of hits, injuries, and spurting blood. Rocky grieves his beloved Adrian's death and deals with his son's resentment (they argue a couple of times). Paulie smokes cigars in nearly every scene, drinks frequently, and is visibly drunk in a couple of scenes. Mild language ("hell" and "damn"), with Paulie making a derogatory "Indian" joke during one of his inebriated scenes.
Families can talk about the film's resurrection of the Rocky mythology: Why is the ongoing story of a "regular" guy's success so enduring? Did the franchise need a sixth film? How do Rocky's slang and behavior indicate his class? Does that make his success more appealing to a wide audience? How does Adrian serve as inspiration even after her death? How do Rocky's good humor, humility, and determination all contribute to his appeal? Is he still as powerful a character now as he was in the first movie?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Cynthia Fuchs
ROCKY BALBOA ends with a series of shots that look like home movies. Regular people reach the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, where, alone or in groups, they cheer themselves to the tune of "Gonna Fly Now." A fantasy that is at once heartwarming and tacky, it has endured some 30 years. And so has Rocky.
To its credit, the sixth movie in the Rocky franchise understands the complexity of that iconic image and all it might mean for viewers and imitators. As it revisits Sylvester Stallone's original character, concept, and sense of rhythm, the new movie doesn't refer specifically to the corniest of its precursors (when Rocky did battle with Mister T and Ivan Drago). Instead, it remembers the sweetest, schmaltziest moments, especially Rocky's memories of the now-dead Adrian (Talia Shire, who appears in soft-lit flashbacks).
Inspired once again by her image to pursue his dream, the 60-year-old retiree fights the current world champion, an arrogant kid called Mason "The Line" Dixon (played by ex-light heavyweight champion Antonio Carver). Even as his name refers to the racism of the Old South, Dixon embodies a contemporary problem for the boxing industry: He and his management team exploit his prowess to make money in a business that's notoriously corrupt and dulled by mediocre talents. In other words, the time is right for Rocky's comeback -- he's positioned as the "authentic" fighter, compared to Dixon's commercial product (the younger fighter gets a hip-hop soundtrack, apparently to mark his "crass" self-image).
Though he's initially discouraged by his grumpy brother-in-law, Paulie (Burt Young), and resentful son, Rocky Jr. (Milo Ventimiglia), Rocky accepts Dixon's challenge, which is inspired by an ESPN computer simulation in which the Italian Stallion beats the younger fighter. Believing that he still has "something in the basement," Rocky begins training for an exhibition match in Vegas.
While Rocky Balboa is corny and predictable (following the same basic plotline as the others), it also offers an intelligent assessment of what makes Rocky so compelling. While Stallone has famously tried to break free of Rocky (recall his excellent performance in James Mangold's Cop Land), with this movie he seems to grapple earnestly with the dilemma that the character presents. It's not a great film, but it is an intelligent, insightful movie about greatness.
He's encouraged by a neighborhood girl, Marie (Geraldine Hughes), a character reprised from the first film (in which, she recalls, he told her as a youngster to "stop smokin' and things"). Now a single mom to a son named Steps (James Francis Kelly III), Marie works as a bartender and suffers emotional abuse from her boyfriend (whom Rocky quickly scares off). With family and new friends thus assembled, Rocky goes into familiar, montage-y training mode, jogging in the streets, drinking raw eggs, and performing extremely athletic push-ups (not to mention revealing a frankly stunning physique).
When Paulie suggests that Rocky only wants to fight again because he's "mad they moved your statue," he reminds audiences of the debates over "Rocky" as a character and an idea. The statue in question, commissioned by Stallone for Rocky III, generated controversy concerning the definitions of "art" and commercial product back in 1983 when it was briefly installed atop the Art Museum steps. Celebrating a fictional character, it was derided by many as a "movie prop" and eventually removed to the Wachovia Spectrum.
The statue, like the reenactments by fans that close the film, speaks to Rocky Balboa's enduring appeal -- his awkwardness and banality, as well as his timelessness. Paulie's comment works in a few ways: It shows Stallone's capacity to laugh at his own legacy, proves an understanding of the silliness of media hype, and serves as an acknowledgment of the many functions of art, both "high" and "low." As art, Rocky the character has his own place.
Fans will like the first Rocky (which this one most closely resembles). Other heroic, sentimental movies about boxers include Cinderella Man, Somebody Up There Likes Me, The Quiet Man, and Girlfight.
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Sexual ContentMarie wears a tight top when she's with her mean boyfriend; chaste flirtation between Rocky and Marie. |
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ViolenceBoxing matches are tough, with lively camerawork, fast cuts, hard hits, and blood flying; Rocky threatens Marie's boyfriend. |
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LanguageMild language includes "damn" and "hell," as well as a racial slur (asked if he has a reservation for a restaurant, a drunk Paulie responds, "Do I look like a freakin' Indian?"). |
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Social BehaviorYoung champ is cocky, Rocky is stalwart and sometimes sad (he visits his dead wife's grave several times); son rejects then accepts his father's "big shadow." The film promotes faith in yourself, hard work, and determination. |
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CommercialismThematic: boxing is characterized as overly commercial; ESPN personalities make appearances. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoPaulie smokes many cigars; Rocky's restaurant serves liquor; a drunk Paulie disrupts the restaurant one night. |
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