Review of Rocky Balboa (2006) by Timothy S — 28 Nov 2011

No other movie in recent memory has been the butt of more jokes than "Rocky Balboa", and I must admit that I too was skeptical about Sylvester Stallone's sixth and final of the "Rocky" films. All of that skepticism is washed away in about twenty minutes of this sentimental, exciting movie that hits every right note along the way up to and including the boxing match at the end.

Stallone wisely forgoes the egomaniac his most famous character had become during the course of this franchise and once again becomes the sweet, likable underdog we first met back in 1976. This is the guy we fell in love with, not that jerk from the 4th entry. As silly as it sounds on paper, the story is surprisingly credible on the screen. Give credit to the smart script for keeping things real and not turning this into a comic book like "Rocky 4".

That credibility carries over into the thrilling, edge-of-your-seat fight that closes the film. I was completely unaware of how this would end, and in the history of the movies I don't think I've rooted this hard for any one character to simply not die. Let's just say that, like the rest of the movie, it ends just the way it should.

The film "Rocky Balboa" is just as big of underdog as its title character, but they both come out on top. It's a sentimental favorite that's nearly impossible to resist.