Sylvester Stallone goes back to basics with "Rocky Balboa," and taps into some of what made Rocky so great. The best thing about the movie was the dialogue, and it was both funny and emotional, keeping me involved with its charming self-depreciations. It was this quality of Stallone’s writing which allowed me to accept the over-the-top moments, even with the painful memory of his movie called “Over The Top,” still in my head. The writing won out though, even if the plot was a given.
I knew, much as I did in Rocky, that the underdog was going to prevail against impossible odds, but I was okay with that because the writing reflects a self-awareness of what it is all about. And so I went along for the ride. Stallone also did some of the best acting in his career in the film, and the scene in which he explains some of life’s truths to his son is well…a knockout (okay, now I’m doing the obvious too).
Overall I thought it was a very good film, best when it focused on the characters lives outside the ring. The fight inside the ring was not the fight I was most interested in, it was Rocky’s struggle to define himself that interested me. I think the same was true for the first Rocky. The only complaint I have though, really, is the ending. I just did not like the last shot of the film. Since Stallone wrote, directed, and starred in the movie, I guess that’s not too shabby for an old underdog trying to get us to root for him again. The amazing part is that he succeeds. I give "Rocky Balboa" three (and a half) out of five garlicks.
