Rocky Balboa

Now this is more like it. Realizing he didn't want to close the book on the Rocky saga with Rocky V, and who would want to on that low note, Stallone crafted the perfect swan song for Philly's favorite fighter. With deep sentiment, we get to see one last fight in the ring with Rocky Balboa. 

It's sixteen years since the previous film and a lot has changed for Rocky (played by Sylvester Stallone). His beloved Adrian has passed on after losing a battle with cancer. He owns a Philadelphia restaurant named in her honor and spends his evenings regaling his guests with stories of the good old days. He's also trying to reconnect with his son, Robert (played by Milo Ventimiglia), as the two have grown apart over the years. Looking to find something to do, Rocky applies to get licensed again as a Boxer, figuring he'll try his hand at some local fights. When ESPN runs a computer simulation pitting former champ Rocky against current Heavyweight Champion Mason "The Line" Dixon (played by Antonio Tarver) and the computer states Rocky would win, some boxing promoters get the wild idea to stage an exhibition match to see how it would play for real. Rocky accepts the challenge and once again begins training for the big match. After an argument with Robert, who has found it hard living in his father's shadow, he reconciles with his father and leaves his job to help him train for the fight.  

This film goes a long way in righting a lot of the wrongs with the previous film. It does a much better job of bringing Rocky back to his roots without taking him all the way back to square one. This was the only Rocky sequel not to open with a recap of the previous film, so the desire to distance itself from Rocky V is clear from the get go. There's a lot of growth for Rocky as well as he tries to figure out how to live his life now that the love of his life is gone. Paulie (played by Burt Young) is still hanging around but other than that Rocky is pretty much flying solo running his restaurant, which as we see by the sign had been in operation for a good ten years or so. His relationship with his son, Robert, provides a lot of the heart of the film as Rocky tries to reconnect with him, wondering why Robert doesn't come around anymore. Stallone, who once again writes and directs, gives the film perhaps it's most well rounded opponent in Mason "The Line" Dixon since Apollo Creed. He too has his own problems with his managers not setting him up with any real opposition but rather people he can easily beat. A big part of the reason Dixon accepts the fight is to prove that he can go toe to toe with a real fighter. It's a refreshing change of pace after the rather cartoonish villains of Rocky III and Rocky IV. 

This was supposed to be the wrap up film for the Rocky series and as such, I feel it was quite successful. As I was re-watching it for this review for the first time since it came out nine years ago, I was surprised at how emotional I became towards the end of the film. There is something so endearing about the character of Rocky Balboa that I can't help but love and seeing how much people love the character as well, captured so well in the scene when he exits the arena for the last time as a boxer with the whole crowd chanting his name, I couldn't help but tear up a little. Yes, it's sentimental, but I don't care.