… is exactly what I feel I have sufferred after watching Rocky Balboa. I can blame Sandra for this as it was her decision to see this tonight, although I think Jules also had a hand in making the suggestion.
Rocky spends most of his days visiting the grave of his still loved but now departed wife Adrian. He is an extremely forlorn figure but is still able to front up his restaurant every night regaling customers with stories of past glories. Through his sadness he is also able to reach out to a former friend to lend a helping hand. A strange computer simulated fight on ESPN has Rocky in his prime matched up against current world heavyweight champion Mason Dixon. Rocky wins the simulated win and this inspires the real Rocky to get back into the ring. Inevitably a match up between Mason and Rocky is set up.
Much of this movie is based on nostalgia and when it gets to the part where Rocky is training for the match we are treated to all his past training techniques – the eating of raw eggs, the punching of frozen slabs of meat, running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. His trainer said it best:
“To beat this guy, you need speed. You don’t have any. Your knees are weak so no hard running. You’ve got neck arthritis and calcium deposits in most of your joints, so sparring is out …. So what we’ll be callin’ on, is good old-fashioned blunt force trauma. Horse power. Heavy duty cast iron pile drivin’ punches that will have to hurt so much it’ll rattle his ancestors. Everytime you hit him with a shot, it’s got to feel like he tried kissing the express train.”
Fantastic quote.
To be fair the movie wasn’t all bad and for all its cheesiness it does try to be a “nice” movie. Perhaps that is where its fault lay. Lets face it anyone watching this movie was in it for the fight scenes and the fact that they built up Rocky to be this really nice sweet guy for 90% of the film, whilst touching, also had me snoozing. Having said all this the movie actually did make me cry, laugh and nearly cheer so I guess in the end you can’t help but be charmed by it.
By the way, the theme song still rocks.
Rocky says “I dont wanna get mangled or look stupid or nothin”
I say too late mate!
Definitly too late!
Well I think the movie had a deeper meaning than just getting mangled or looking stupid,
It was about a man who has the heart and the passion to go in a ring knowing there is
a big chance he will get knocked out or worst die according doctors. Its about how hard you
can get hit and keep moving forward. That my friends is exactly what he said about life “It’s
not about how hard you hit but how much you can take and keep moving forward”. If he was
a quiter he would have turned down the match but he wasnt and went the distance with the
champ. As a boxer I know what it feels to be one on one with a guy in the ring and its the
most exciting feeling ever, even when you get hit or when you are the underdog, you still like it
I dont blame Rocky for coming back, everyone does, if not look at Big George Foreman
Champion when he was 45 years old. Thast a real life example.
Hi Guillermo. Its true that the movie was probably more than just getting mangled or stupid. Like I said – a fairly sweet movie and if you look for it a nice litle bit of inspiration.
My man, I think you need to relax with the psychobabble bullshit. Sly aka Rocky (nb rocky being a FICTIONAL character) was in it for the money, pure and simple. This aint no Cassius Clay struggle through a black hating America to be the greatest boxer of all time.
Rocky is a twat, the greatest thing about the multitude of Rockys 1-6 is seeing that moron get smashed up by BA Baracus and Dolph Lundgren.
So as I said previously, where Rocky says “I dont wanna get mangled or look stupid or nothin”
I say too late. Way too late.