dtrout-3 Review of Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa (2006)

No Oscar Nominations, but a Good Trip Down Memory Lane

[7/10 · 29 November 2006]

Just 2 hours ago, I exited an advance screening for ROCKY BALBOA in downtown Chicago. I had a few of questions going into the theater: (1) Why wasn't this called ROCKY VI? (2) Will this stop the downward trend in quality of the ROCKY series? (3) Why is the movie being specifically marketed to faith groups? And (4) Will Sly Stallone be there in person? First, if anyone saw ROCKY V, you know that it was one of the worst movies of the 1990's. That alone is good enough reason why not to call it ROCKY VI. Also, ROCKY BALBOA is a really good cap on the series. There is a lot of quick flashback moments to scenes in previous ROCKY'S, but it's not overdone either. This definitely stopped the downward trend, and was more of a character piece on the thoughts and decisions of a retired, widowed boxer. It is a slow moving dialogue movie, with only the last 20 minutes containing the training and big boxing match, so don't expect an action-filled adventure. It is a closer resemblance to the original ROCKY. There were some acting flaws with some minor roles, and the hokeyest part was how the crowd was one-sided pro-Rocky. Las Vegas is a gambling town, so there are always cheering for both boxers. Even with the cheesy moments, it was a very inspirational movie, and overall clean with a PG rating. Anyone who grew up with ROCKY or enjoyed the previous movies will find this a very good trip down memory lane. FYI... Even though there were a few faith-filled lines in the movie, I think the faith-driven marketing is more financially driven than anything else. Also, Sly was not at the theater, but he was doing a press conference later that day at a Chicago hotel (but I couldn't make it).