Rocky

I saw this movie at the drive-in when in high school knowing nothing about it (I actually thought it was a movie version of the cartoon "rocky and bullwinkle" when I saw the title while driving my date to the double feature at the Twin drive in which is gone now). I hated it. Gritty, dark and depressing. Of course, I was around 16 and had my girl friend on my mind. Since that time I've grown to love the movie. Like many movies it became a classic only to be followed up by many sequels taking advantage of the original. In Rocky's case after the first sequel the rest get pretty bad (a theme with Stallone movies) and really just make no sense. He was a 3rd rate club fighter thrust into one shining moment where being heavily under estimated he surprised a fighter much better than himself. You have to suspend your grasp of reality and just enjoy the spirit of the movie because in no world would the fight have gone on considering Rocky's condition and no amount of will could of overcome the severely beaten state he was in. Great movie though and a real slice of the life he was leading when the fight became a reality. In some ways, I think the real beauty of the movie lies in that world he lived in and not the eventual fight. In fact, the movie could of ended as he left the locker room to head to the arena. The outcome really doesn't matter.

Arguably the greatest film of all time, this is the movie that gave Sylvester Stallone a name in Hollywood, and for good reason: it's amazing. Winning isn't everything: sometimes all you really have to do is go the distance. THAT is the story of Rocky, a man who started at the bottom, and climbed his way up to the top. This is an endearing, nostalgic film that reminds us of the simple things; the satisfaction of hard work and determination.

People may not know how much this movie did for the industry. Movies in the 70s sucked. They ended badly and reflected the Jimmy Carter bad years. When people saw Rocky they actually cheered. Finally a movie that made people feel good. This helped change the direction of the industry. It is a timeless story with one of the best and most iconic movies scores of all time, by Bill Conti.