I’ve found a new comfort movie. And like last time I became obsessed with a film, I’m decades late to the party.
I’ve watched Rocky every night for the past three nights, and I make no promises about tonight. It’s such a feel-good movie, I just want to spend my time there.
My expectations of this movie were totally different from the reality, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Ironic that I was so judgmental since I’ve loved every boxing movie I’ve watched up to now, but again, I had an incorrect impression of it before I saw it.
Then an ad came across my social media, and for some reason, I didn’t scroll away. It was for I Play Rocky, the new movie coming out about the story behind the story. I didn’t know Sylvester Stallone wrote it, or how much flak he got trying to get into the industry. It immediately opened my heart, and I wanted to watch it.
But first, I had to go back to the beginning.
I resolved, as I did when I watched Mission Impossible only because Henry Cavill was in one, that I watch the original, then either watch as many sequels as I felt like or just skip to the one I wanted. I heard the Rocky sequels got a little excessive, but then again, my impressions thus far have not been correct.
In honor of my new favorite, I jotted down some thoughts about what I loved about Rocky, and I’d like to share them with you. I tried to organize them loosely into categories, but they’re a little stream-of-consciousness.
- I expected a toxic male fantasy fighting movie. What I got was a guy who, in the first five minutes of the movie, greeted every animal in the pet shop by name and made terrible jokes to make the shy girl laugh. I was like, “Oh no! I love him!”
- Like most good boxing movies, and good movies in general, it’s more about the characters than boxing.
- They didn’t go for the low-hanging fruit of making Apollo a terrible person or a thug. He has his own personality and is pretty likable for the most part. I did get a little sick of his prettyboy antics by the end of his Uncle Sam shtick, but hey, the guy knows how to work a crowd. A boxer and a showman both. He’s a manager’s dream.
- The movie handled race and sexism with casual grace that outpaced modern treatment.
- I appreciate how older movies like this one let their dialog be so true to life, rather than becoming so tight and useful to the plot that they lose all flavor and character. Characters in this movie often said a lot without saying much at all, and they repeat themselves a lot, which makes them lifelike. They didn’t overdo their dialog or inject concepts and language the character wouldn’t know or use. The local color in how they spoke and the words they used really transported me, which feels like a lost art.
- The little details sustained throughout: Rocky has trouble remembering things and needs to write them down, he’s a goof who always has to say something silly (mooing at the cow carcass in the meat locker or saying “Click!” when he hits the lights in his apartment), he loves and talks to the animals (and it’s not just a show for Adrian; he does it when he’s alone, too), responding “I did great, you should’ve seen me” no matter who asks or how he did, and he has to come up with the terrible jokes he’s going to make for Adrian and rehearse them in front of the mirror.
- The low-key little quips Rocky makes: “They must be friends,” “How much do you think that suit cost?” “This is Cuff and Link and the rest of them are marbles,” etc.
- Rocky is thirty, and Adrian is almost that, and he simultaneously admits the pressure and feelings associated with that without allowing it to define either of them. People treat them like washed-up trash due to their age and place in life spoke to my soul. I’m thirty, single, and at a low point in my career. It’s nice to have someone to sit beside me and just go, “Yup, this stinks.”
- It’s unusual to see a character reevaluate their goals realistically. Rocky realized he couldn’t win against Apollo, and that all he wanted was to go the distance and prove to himself that he’s not a bum. It’s like what I was told about publishing: you can’t succeed if you don’t know what specifically you want to get from it, and it’s different for everyone.
- As terribly limiting as it was, I really appreciated Rocky and Adrian comparing notes on what their parents told them about not having much of a mind and having to use his body, and vice versa for her. I’ve tacitly made that assessment of myself, but then found myself superseding it when I realized that without the fear and attention of gym class, I actually can set and achieve goals for myself physically. Just like Rocky has more going on in his mind than his dad ever knew.
- Rocky protects Marie like a big brother, and I think she’s just some kid from the neighborhood. Though it did worry me that he warned her about becoming a whore, I do appreciate that he admitted it was a dirty word, that reputation doesn’t have to be true in order to stick, and acknowledged his own hypocrisy in the company he keeps.
- Rocky shows remarkable self-control and ownership of his emotions. He’s honest with Adrian about how he feels, uses his words, lowers his voice, apologizes when he’s wrong, and never gets loud or hits things around her even if he’s upset. He only does that with guys who can take it.
- Rocky won’t let his friends or coworkers talk bad about a girl. He defends Adrian to strangers and friends alike. He doesn’t always stand up for himself, but he was ready to throw hands with people when they got rude about her.
- He’s humble, funny, and always has a kind word to say to people.
- He’s always trying to ease the tension or defuse somebody’s anger, even when he’s got the muscle to go toe-to-toe with them.
- Even as a loan shark’s hired thug, he shows mercy. (And felt the need to rhyme at Bob when he was shaking him down.)
- He loves animals and isn’t afraid to call them by name, get down on the floor with them, make kissy sounds at them, or talk to them like they’re humans. He treats them like family, referencing what “me and the turtles” had for last Thanksgiving dinner.
- He hit the nail on the head about people treating shyness like a disease, but not minding it himself. It shone light into my soul to see a guy who saw through how shy Adrian was, and loved her anyway, and was even more enamored with her when she found her voice. Her shyness wasn’t a perk that kept her under his control while he was free to do as he pleased.
- Rocky was so uncomfortable when Paulie was a jerk to Adrian and tried to back out and give her some space, but when he did ask her out, acknowledged her feelings and did his best to soothe her.
- Rocky shows a lot of grace in his relationship with Paulie, and it’s all for Adrian. He’d clearly rather have this guy out of his face, but he makes peace with him and lets him make money off him to keep him calm.
- Rocky doesn’t let Paulie disrespect Adrian, and when Paulie gets violent, Rocky’s first move is to shield her. But he also lets her say her piece when she needs to.
- Adrian’s character arc, gaining her voice and courage. She stood up to her abuser, announced that she didn’t owe him anything, showed and gained agency, and was consistently treated with respect and gentleness by Rocky. She had a nice glow-up, but it was mostly her feeling better about herself and didn’t require her to show more skin.
- On a really shallow level, young Sylvester Stallone. I love his shoulders, his hair, his perfect cupid’s bow lips, and his style of clothing. The boots with a little heel, the leather jacket, and the hat? Win, win, win.
- I love Rocky’s natural charm. I bet a lot of guys were trying to imitate his cadence of speech and body language after this movie came out, but it doesn’t work unless you’ve got his character. “Hey,” and a little nod with the chin to request a parting kiss from Adrian made my heart flutter, but it wouldn’t have the same effect coming from some pigheaded thug.
- The way he didn’t even care to hear the score at the end, in part because he only wanted to go the distance with Apollo, but also that he just wanted to see Adrian. He just yelled her name, swatting away reporters, and with his busted face after the fight, he looked so vulnerable and lost. The real endpoint for him was when she told him she loved him, and he immediately said it back. #GonnaCryNow
- The subtext of seducing Adrian for the first time made it clear he wasn’t performing in order to make a conquest; he was trying to coax out a shy person, and he admitted his own vulnerability, too.
- Speaking of being vulnerable, I loved seeing Rocky get honest with himself and Adrian right before the fight. The fear and pain didn’t make him lash out at her, but turn to her. Yes, my big strong fighter, come be the little spoon and tell me your woes. 10/10.
- Consent! “You don’t have to kiss me back if you don’t want to, but I wanna kiss you,” and leaving pauses for her to withdraw if she wanted to. (Caveat: it did worry me a little when he blocked the door, but knowing that she wanted him, too, and that he would’ve backed off if she didn’t, reassures me.)
- He’s constantly reassuring Adrian that “It ain’t your fault,” either when something bad happens or her brother talks mean to her.
- It was so adorable how even though Adrian ran to her room for refuge, the second Rocky asked her out, she changed clothes like Superman in a phone booth. Time it out; she was ready to go. I wanted to break the fourth wall and be like, “I know she’s shy and you’re second-guessing yourself at this moment, but she really likes you, my dude!”
I’m going to try not to watch this movie again tonight, but no promises. Watching Rocky really feels like hanging out with a friend. That character is so personable and lifelike and lovable, I just want to go hang out with him again and again. I’m calling it; I’m a fan.
Now, to see about those sequels!
