Rocky

Sylvester Stallone goes the distance in this quintessential American underdog story that still packs a punch.

---

PRE-GAME 🥊

---

Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻

I’d like to thank my cousin, John, for stopping by this week for another takeover. If you missed his last appearance here at Balls on Film - John writes comics, and his work includes And Then Emily Was Gone, Oxymoron: The Loveliest Nightmare, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #6 and Glasgow-based crime thriller Sink, all to critical acclaim. His horror anthology series Hotell has been optioned for film, with an adaptation from writer/director Elle Callahan currently in development. John is joining us this week to talk about one of his all-time favourite movies - Rocky.

A quick reminder: if the newsletter isn’t going to your inbox, and going to junk mail instead, please be sure to locate the mail in your junk folder, and mark it as not spam. Alternatively, just reply to any email from me with a quick hello, and it shouldn’t happen again! 😊

I’d also like to highlight that I’ve started the Balls on Film subscriber chat, which you can access from the main page or via the chat tab at the bottom of the screen in the Substack app. This is a space exclusively for subscribers - kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’m still messing around with it and trying to figure out exactly how to best incorporate it into the newsletter, but I’ll post any discussion topics or updates there, and you can jump in if you want to. Hope to see you over there!

With that, I’ll hand over to John. I’ll be back for post-game!

John: Hello! Thanks to my cousin, James, for inviting me back again to cover one of my all-time favourite movies. It’s every bit as excellent as ever.

---

FIRST HALF 🥊

---

Rocky is the ultimate American fairy tale, the classic underdog story. It's such a classic, and so ingrained in the cultural consciousness, it's hard to try and approach it in a review. I do think it's interesting that the original critical response to the film was mixed, and that even in the decades since much has been made about how Rocky isn't as good as Raging Bull. Now, Raging Bull may be a more technically proficient film than Rocky, but I've returned to Raging Bull rarely while I never tire of Rocky, perhaps because Raging Bull is a miserable, cynical film, whereas Rocky is one of the great cinematic feel-good experiences.

MGM

Sylvester Stallone didn't just star as Rocky Balboa, the no-name fighter given a shot at world champion Apollo Creed, he wrote the film too, and more than anything else in his career you get the sense that the Rocky series is his passion project that he put the most of himself into. People make fun of Stallone a lot, and he certainly has some stinkers in his CV, but when he was nominated for both a Best Actor and a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for the same film on the same year, he was at the time only the third person in history to achieve such an accolade after Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles. And he's great, playing broad as this mumbling goofball, but with this beaten-down disappointment in himself lurking underneath the bravado and patter which comes out in quieter moments. I still love his reaction when he is first asked to fight Apollo Creed, something which should be his dream come true, that almost immediate "No," and you can see the shame in his eyes. I also love his relationship with Talia Shire's Adrian, one of the all-time great cinematic love stories. Their first date has the charming awkwardness of a real first date, and seeing how the pair of them gradually bring out the reserves of strength in one another is a delight to watch.

MGM

In fact, the film is filled with great little performances. Burgess Meredith is fantastic as trainer Mickey, getting some of the film's best lines, but doing his best acting in a near wordless moment in Rocky's apartment. I like Joe Spanell as loan shark Tony Gazzo, a guy who is undoubtedly a scumbag, but who contrary to story cliche doesn't try and drag Rocky down when he gets his big shot, but supports him and wishes him the best. And Carl Weathers is magnificent as Apollo Creed, certainly a bit of a condescending dick and guilty of hubris, but too charismatic and likeable in his own right to ever come across as an out-and-out villain.

MGM

The film chugs along pleasantly throughout, John G. Avildsen's quiet, unfussy direction creating a sense of us just hanging out with Rocky. But when it gets dramatic with the big moments, it really soars. That whole famous training montage with the iconic theme playing still gives me goosebumps every time, one of the most bracing, energising moments in cinema. And the climactic fight with Apollo Creed is just epic storytelling. No matter how often I see it I still find myself getting drawn into the drama and damn near standing up off my seat and punching the air. The way the dynamic steadily shifts from Rocky just wanting to overcome the astronomical odds and go the distance with Creed to Creed being on the backfoot and trying to go the distance with Rocky is just masterful storytelling. But - and this is something the sequel maybe didn't get - it isn't about who wins at the end. It isn't about the money or fame or the pride of the fight, which is maybe why all the commentary and discussion of the result fades into background noise amidst the rousing score and Rocky's famous shout of "ADRIAN!" as the film ends. Ultimately, it's about Rocky finding his lost sense of pride, and not "becoming" somebody, but rather showing the world that he already was somebody, and that all that matters to him is the person who saw him as somebody before anyone else.

MGM

Rocky of course spawned many sequels, of varying quality. But I enjoy the series as a whole and I'll even take the bad films with the good, because in an overarching sense I think it's a great story of this man's life, and the way his place in the world has changed with time. However, at the end of the day, the undisputed best of the bunch is still Rocky, the original, as it has the purest arc, the most potent message, and the biggest heart.

Rocky is available to rent or buy via most digital stores.

---

HALFTIME 🥊

---

Let’s take a break for halftime.

James: I’ve actually had a pretty light tv week this week. Other than Slow Horses, the new season of Frasier and the Mr. McMahon Netflix documentary, I’ve not watched much of anything other than the new Apple TV+ movie…

Wolfs (Apple TV+)

Despite recently rolling back their plans to release their movies in theatres, I was still quite surprised that this change in direction was kicked off with Wolfs, the new Jon Watts-directed crime caper starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Hired to cover up a high-profile crime, a fixer (Clooney) finds his night spiralling out of control when he’s forced to work with an unexpected counterpart (Pitt). I’d heard mixed things going in, but I had such a fun time watching this. Sure, it doesn’t reinvent the genre, but I was invested right from the start. There’s a few fun jokes involving painkillers and reading glasses that poke fun at the ageing duo, and Austin Abrams brings a lot of energy to the story, and plays off the two stars perfectly. It also looks absolutely fantastic, but then so does everything on Apple TV+. It’s got a few pacing issues, but you won’t find a more entertaining new streaming movie for a great Friday or Saturday night in right now.

In some sports tv news, my buddy and former ScreenTimes colleague Sigmund Judge dropped an exclusive piece of news this week. It looks like Ted Lasso season 4 is a go!

Sigmund Judge on X

I can tell you that Sigmund has this on good authority and from a reliable source. AFC Richmond fans, get excited! ⚽️

Let’s get back into the ring.

---

SECOND HALF 🥊

---

Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.

BEST SCENE 🏆

How could it not be this?

BEST LINE 🏆

Rocky: “…Cause all I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood.”

MVP AWARD 🏆

There’s no room for discussion here. This award belongs to Sylvester Stallone.

IMDB TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆

The scene in which Rocky and Adrian kiss in Rocky's kitchen wasn't scripted the way it was shot. Talia Shire had the flu, and was worried about getting Sylvester Stallone sick. Her hesitation was an improvement over the scripted scene, and they decided to keep it. The scene has become Stallone's favorite scene in the entire Rocky saga.

BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆

Sam on Letterboxd

BONUS FEATURE 💿

This clip of Sylvester Stallone talking with legendary British film critic Barry Norman is a great watch, and quite an eye-opening reminder of how different interviews used to be conducted. I love how in-depth, and well-paced this is. An actual conversation!

---

POST-GAME 🥊

---

James: Thanks to John for joining us this week! I hope you all enjoyed his look at Rocky. Let us know what you thought of the movie in the comments!

Before I forget too, if you’re watching the Mr. McMahon Netflix documentary, please share your thoughts over in the subscriber chat.

You might have seen it covered in the media already, but the Oakland Athletics recently played their final game at the Oakland Coliseum, and since the MLB postseason is in full swing, I thought I’d put Moneyball on the schedule for next week.

See you then! 👋🏻

~James