Pros: While billed as a sports film, it is actually a character study. Lunky Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) might have a rough exterior but is a big softy inside, talks to his goldfish after beating someone up in the ring. He also loves pet shop owner Adrian (Talia Shire) despite the objection of her brother, Paul (Burt Young). While the plot is relatively trite, the acting is solid along with the authentic feel of the film.
Cons: This is not a sports film. There are only a few training scenes and just two boxing matches in the entire film and Rocky wins his first match, somehow. You don't know how he stops working for the mob and he takes Mickey (Burgess Meredith) back after Mickey kicks him out of the gym. And you don't really know who wins the last, pinnacle boxing match as neither ends up on the ground for the allotted seconds. And it's a shame that this film won the Oscar for Best Picture over All the President's Men, Taxi Driver and Network. All three were far superior than this one.
Recommend: No
Grade: C+
Side Notes:
-Though this film features a prominate black character in Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), he is one-dimensional character, which is such a shame.
-It is endearing at how the whole city wraps themselves around Rocky and supports him.
-We get precious little about Rocky's background and family history.
-Adrian and Rocky are both animal lovers which is also lovely to see.
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