Rocky II (PG, 1979)

Picking up where Rocky left off, the underdog Philadelphia prizefighter enjoys a touch of fame after his controversial split-decision loss to champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Rocky is able to marry his girlfriend Adrian (Talia Shire) and move into an upscale townhouse. But when he shoots a TV commercial, Rocky's secret comes out: He can barely read. Moreover, boxing has damaged his vision. He tries to support Adrian by returning to his meat market job, but is layed off. Meanwhile, Apollo Creed nurses a grudge about his bout against Rocky. He trains hard and tauntingly and publicly challenges Rocky to come out of retirement to settle once and for all who's the greatest, even though more hits could cost Rocky his eyesight. As if that isn't bad enough, Adrian is pregnant. And if that isn't bad enough, Adrian also lapses into a coma... So, who do you think is going to win?

ROCKY II is very similar to the first film, except this time around it feels like Stallone's rabid fans got to vote on the ending. Cornball complications are made palatable by Stallone's decent direction. He knows the lovable-lummox character thoroughly, and he puts so much joy in to the performance we end up following Rocky and Adrian from Palookaville to Cliche-ville in spite of ourselves.

Rocky's almost too good to be true here, saying nothing but nice things about Apollo Creed, even thanking Creed for the rematch in which his fearsome enemy plans to humiliate and destroy him. Watching Rocky Balboa embodying good sportsmanship does give one cause to reflect how often opponents in sports dramas are demonized into monsters rather than respectful competitors.

Studio: MGM/UA
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Cast: Burgess Meredith, Carl Weathers, Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire
Genre: Drama
Run time: 120 minutes
Theatrical release: June 15, 1979
DVD release: October 1, 1997
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: boxing violence