Thursday, December 21, 2006

Rocky Balboa

Movie Review

Just got home from seeing the final chapter in the 'Rocky' story. If you are planning to go see this movie do the following:
  1. DON'T read any detailed reviews of the story (don't worry, you won't find one here)
  2. Clear your mind..."unlearn what you have learned"...
  3. DON'T go with a pre-conceived notion of what this movie is about or what you think it should be.
  4. Look at this in the context of the overall story.
  5. Do a little review: if you've never seen any of the movies go watch 1, 2, and 3 for sure to bring you up to speed with the back story. 4 is ok, but if you watch 5 do it with little forgiveness.

That being said, and having made up my mind to do these four things months ago when I found out about this movie, I loved it. Stalone has said in numerous interviews that this isn't a boxing movie...he's right. This is a story about passion and love. And a story about 'purpose'...like I said in my Thanksgiving post, it's the purpose that gives meaning to our lives...how we work together, how we help each other and make each others lives a little more special. That's what this movie is about.

I like the scene at the Boxing Commision most of all. He says basically that they don't have the right to make him jump through hoops, pass their tests and meet the requirements just for them to tell him he 'can't do it'...that when someone feels a real call in their life and a real passion for something others don't have the right to tell them they aren't qualified or should just forget it.

I grew up with this story. It's been an old and faithful friend and meant an awful lot to me at critical times in my life. I salute Sylvester Stalone for having the courage after not being satisfied with the last movie to go back and end things right. I don't know what the 'movie experts' will say about it and I really don't care. Those guys don't live in the real world anyway so their opinions don't relate to most of us. Don't listen to them...go see it anyway. As long as you do it with an open heart and an open mind you won't be disappointed.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I also ran up the Art Museum steps, countless times. (Being a Philly boy)

I just got back from watching the movie, and I liked it, alot.
I felt it was a great "bookend" to the Rocky legacy, all five of them.

Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky IV
And Rocky Balboa.

(People tell me there was a fifth Rocky movie called Rocky V, and I don't believe them. The same people tell me that there was a third Godfather movie.)

8:49 PM, December 25, 2006  
Blogger Mmm said...

I really liked your review of the movie and wholly agree with your advice. I actually took my two sons to see it whom had neer seen any of the original Rockies and they loved it. (They were jusut old enough to see it now I felt.) So, tonight we just watched the very original Rockie and althought they loved ot, they said they liked "Rocky Balboa" better but even at their young age they could see how much the character remains the same but yet matures. They see his heart. There was a lot of material in both movies to use for teaching my kids about character.

12:12 AM, February 11, 2007  

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