L-L-Let’s get ready to revieeewwwwwwwww, Rockyyyyy Balboaaaaaaa! [cue Rocky theme music… “da-da-Daaaaa, da-Da-daaaaa…”]
Now that you have that memorable song running through your head, it’s time for me to present the results to part 2 of my first Trailer Experiment.
To recap, I predicted that I would rank the sixth installment of the Rocky movie series, Rocky Balboa, as “Matinee.” After watching the trailer, I was concerned that the story would be a rehashing of the previous five Rockys. Or is it Rockies? Either way, I’m happy to report that I liked this movie more than I thought I would.
Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, the creator of the Rocky characters, Rocky Balboa shows us where the champ and his family ended up post-boxing career. Adrian has passed on after a bout with “woman cancer.” Son Robert, a.k.a. Rocky, Jr., (Milo Ventimiglia, of TV show, Heroes, fame) is trying to go the distance working in corporate America (never an easy opponent, I assure you). And Paulie (Burt Young) is still drowning his sorrows in booze, lamenting that his meat-packing job is all he has in life.
So how is the champ doing? Well, he’s still a local celebrity/hero in his hometown of Philadelphia. Fans stop him in public to ask for an autograph. They patron his quaint Italian restaurant called "Adrian’s" to see his boxing memorabilia and have Rocky regale them with stories about his good ol’ days. [Check this out: One of my readers was an extra in a restaurant scene. Click here to read how Sly hand-picked her to be in his movie.]
But Rocky seems to be a little lost without Adrian and takes to reminiscing in the old neighborhoods, which unfortunately have not faired as well as he.
During one of his trips down memory lane, Rocky meets single-mom and barmaid Marie (Geraldine Hughes) at one of his former hangouts. They hit it off and start spending time with each other. Marie introduces Rocky to her son, Steps (James Francis Kelly III), who Rocky seems to relate to more than his son. But Rocky isn’t satisfied. There’s a “beast in the basement” that he needs to exorcise. Thanks to modern technology and an interesting hypothesis put forth by ESPN, Rocky gets his chance.
What I liked: This is an older, wiser, more endearing Rocky, who struggles to give his life meaning in the wake of the death of his beloved Adrian; Paulie’s reaction to Rocky’s musings, “You haven’t peaked yet?!” Great line!
What I didn’t: The editing was a little choppy; the script could’ve used a little polish in places
I predicted: Matinee
After seeing the film, I say: Yo! It’s worth full price
What do you say?
EPILOGUE
So, will there be a Rocky VII? I’m not up on the latest gossip regarding this topic, but let’s brainstorm a few ideas anyway…. I could see Rocky becoming boxing manager and mentor to Steps, which could lead to a showdown between Steps and Rocky, Jr. (this scenario might be too similar to Rocky V).... Or, Rocky could manage the next hot female boxer, something akin to Million Dollar Baby (which was good, but not worth all the hype/awards i.m.o.)… Or, there’s always the prequel option, examining the childhood experiences that led Rocky to the boxing ring. Whatever happens, Stallone can be proud that his timeless story has come full circle, even with the couple of “bumps” it hit along the way (Rocky IV and V).
What do you think?
TEST RESULTS
Part 2 of this experiment taught me that my instincts about a film based on its trailer are not always clear-cut. Sometimes I can’t figure out what my gut is telling me. When this particular feeling appears, I need to remind myself to give the film the benefit of the doubt.
What did you learn?
Stayed tuned for results from part 3 of this trailer experiment: Pan’s Labyrinth, which I’m seeing tonight!
Off I go to listen to my new Bitter:Sweet CD, “The Mating Game,” to get this Rocky theme out of my head….
Yay I totally loved this Rocky. Not just because I worked on it (thanks for the mention!) but because it really was a good story. The whole "I laughed - I cried" thing you hear from time to time? That was totally me. I even clapped!
I thought it was really raw and good. I loved the "semi" love interest. I thought she played very honestly.
Posted by: magickat | February 04, 2007 at 06:18 PM