Susan Granger’s review of “Rocky Balboa” (MGM release)
World heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is back in the ring – 30 years later – for one final round.
For those too young to remember, Rocky, a.k.a. the Italian Stallion, captured our hearts back in 1976, not to mention three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. “Rocky” scored seven other nominations, including Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Then came five forgettable sequels.
Now Rocky’s a weary, depressed widower, mourning the death of his beloved wife Adrian (Talia Shire). His brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young) chides, “You’re living backwards; change the channel from yesterday.”
While awkwardly struggling to maintain a relationship with his yuppie son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia), who resents living in the shadow of his famous father, Rocky runs a small Italian restaurant in South Philly, extending friendship to a down-on-her-luck single mom (Geraldine Hughes) and her rebellious teenage son (James Patrick Kelly III).
One day, ESPN showcases a simulated match between athletes of different eras: the current, vastly unpopular heavyweight champ, Mason “The Line” Dixon (real-life boxer Antonio Tarver), and the young, vigorous Rocky.
That gets Rocky thinking about how much he misses the sport – and fight promoters are eager to stage a real-life rematch of the cyber-fight at the glitzy Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Billed as an exhibition, it turns into far more.
Writer/director/actor Stallone’s assertion that “anything is possible, if you believe enough” still strikes a resonant, if corny chord. And his inspirational, nostalgic sprint up the grand steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is revisited, not only in the narrative but also, amusingly, over the final credits. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Rocky Balboa” punches hard with a heart-tugging, uplifting 8. “The last thing to age on somebody is their heart.”
