Guest Blogger: Ryan H2

Arguably one of the best sports movies in history, the film Rocky has captivated audiences time and time again. This movie brings to life the hardships of life in the late 70s in Philadelphia. The story follows the life of a deadbeat boxer named Rocky. Going nowhere in life, Rocky performs odd jobs to make a living. However, his true passion is boxing. He works out at his local boxing arena and fights in local boxing bouts. His style is extremely rough but Rocky’s raw talent gets him through fights. Rocky’s big break comes when the Undisputed Heavy Weight Champion, Apollo Creed, decides to challenge a low level boxer to gain fans and support. Creed chooses Rocky because of his nickname, the Italian Stallion. Overnight, Rocky became the hero of Philadelphia and the dream story that the nation thrives off.
In Rocky, Sylvester Stallone plays the role of Rocky. This was a genius casting option because Stallone nailed the part. With Stallone’s rugged appearance and willingness to dive into the role, audiences could believe that Sylvester was an actual boxer. He played Rocky as a man who was motivated to give his best whenever he could and prove himself to other. Stallone has a weird way of talking that makes it sound like he has already taken one too many punches to the head. Granted that this movie was written by Stallone, no other actor could have pulled off this role in the same way.
In this film, an overlaying theme of determination and perseverance is shown. Rocky never gives up on himself even when people say he should throw in the towel. Rocky fights on to the end because if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be happy with himself. Also, Rocky trained to the Apollo Creed fight as hard as he could, even though his odds of winning were nearly zero.
I agree with Roger Ebert’s rating and review of this movie. He gave the movie four out of four stars and said that “it involves us emotionally, it makes us commit ourselves: We find, maybe to our surprise after remaining detached during so many movies, that this time we care.” This captures the entity of Rocky. This movie will capture the heart of any viewer as it did with the Academy; winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Editing and being nominated for a total of 10 awards. If you haven’t already, go out and buy Rocky. This movie should be a part of any movie collection.