Before we get into this, I always like to be as honest as I can with all of you. When it comes to the Rocky franchise and, on a broader scale, the legend that is Sylvester Stallone, I AM BIASED. Since I was old enough to remember, Stallone and Rocky Balboa have been a part of my life. To be even more honest, Stallone is one of the very few "heroes" I can claim in my 44 years on this Earth.
All that said, on Sunday, I got to see the very first Rocky film in the theater, and it was everything I wanted it to be. It was inspiring, entertaining, and, to be perfectly blunt, I even got a little emotional for multiple reasons. The minute that opening music played as 'Rocky' came across the screen in huge letters, I felt it. I wasn't expecting it to hit me as it did, but it did.
My viewing of the 50th anniversary of Rocky isn't just a review of the love story that won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (John Avildsen), and Best Film Editing (Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad); it provided me with the reminder that cinematic art can also be a love story unto itself.
I don't feel the need to go over the plot of the film: a) because it's 50 years old this month, and b) if you've never seen it, I don't want to be the one to spoil it for you. But I will say that if you've lived under a rock and have never seen this all-time classic film, IT IS NOT A BOXING MOVIE. Yes, Rocky is a boxer. And yes, the climax of the film revolves around a boxing match. But in reality, Rocky is a love story. It's an underdog story. It is the definition of inspirational.
For the next two hours, I went through the struggle with Mr. Stallone and the Rocky character as if it were the first time I had ever seen the movie. For context, I can't even tell you how many times I've watched every single movie in the Rocky franchise -- yes, even the dreaded fifth film.
When I titled this piece, which I rarely do before I begin writing, I did so because I didn't just mean that the movie itself is a love story. I also meant that I have had a lifelong love affair with Stallone's career, and that all began with Rocky. Of course, I wasn't yet born to see the first film in the theater, so I grew up first seeing Rocky IV, where our hero fights against the big, bad communist Soviet boxer, Ivan Drago.
You name a Stallone-led movie, I've most likely seen it more than once. From my all-time favorite action comedy, Tango & Cash, to the much maligned Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot or the publicly panned but highly entertaining Rhinestone. From legendary classics like Rambo: First Blood and his current role as Dwight Manfredi on the critically acclaimed Tulsa King to lesser-known vehicles like 1991's Oscar, I've seen them all.
The octogenarian actor has given us decade upon decade of entertainment, and while I believe he's underrated as an actor, he has lived a very full but troubled life, as detailed in his new book, The Steps: A Memoir. And while he's not trying to claim that his life is a sob story -- he's the last to want people to think that -- his relationship with both of his parents is one that a lot of people can relate to.
The story of how Stallone got Rocky made in the first place is amazing, as evidenced by the upcoming biopic featuring Anthony Ippolito as Stallone, I Play Rocky. Basically, it's about an underdog whose biggest credit up until that point was portraying Stanley Rosiello in 1974's The Lords of Flatbush, and how he got his movie about a fellow underdog made.
So, thank you, Mr. Stallone, for a lifetime of entertainment, even though I know you're not done yet -- not by a long shot. Thank you for allowing me to feel anger, happiness, frustration, joy, drive, giving me my love of movies, and, most of all, love through your art.
