rocky (1976)
director: John G. Avildsen
screenplay: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone
Genre: sports, drama, and romance
length: 1h 59m
release date: November 20, 1976
watched: January 1, 2025 (1st time)
I watched Rocky for the first time on New Year’s night.
I grew up with my dad constantly playing the Rocky theme song, but I haven't gotten around to watching the movie. Let's be real, I’m not exactly a boxing aficionado.
Well… I watched it. Turns out, Rocky isn’t a boxing movie—it’s a movie that happens to have boxing in it. It’s about life, romance, hope, and fortune.
Which is pretty unexpected for a "tough guy" movie.
Rocky is about an Italian-American journeyman who’s been randomly selected by the world champion boxer to fight him in the U.S. Bicentennial match. Throughout the film, we follow Rocky’s days leading up to the match: extensive training, friendships, love life, and more. We also witness his inner dilemmas—how he grapples with insecurities while keeping his flame for fighting burning.
I anticipated Rocky to be brawny and shallow like many action movies. But it ended up being a thoughtful and reflective film about a man living on the fringes of society. We’ve got a lot to discuss, so let’s dive in.
The American Dream
Rocky is about the American Dream: with enough faith, determination, and hard work, you can do anything—no matter who you are. Though it’s quintessentially American to reach for the stars, ambition is a universal theme. Rocky speaks to the heart and soul of those who not only have big dreams, but are also willing to go the distance to achieve them.
However, luck shouldn’t be discounted in the mix. The appeal of the film is that freak luck can happen to anyone. Out of all the fighters Creed could’ve chosen to contend with, he picked a small-time boxer from Philadelphia. Considering who he was, Rocky was up against staggering odds just to be in the same ring as a heavyweight champion, much less beat him.
It’s the classic underdog story. We all carry parts of us that feel underrepresented, amateurish, and, above all, not good enough. When we see a character who embodies these traits and gets a shot at massive success, we root for them.
Because, ultimately, we are them.
Rocky and his dog on set, 1976
Not only is Rocky about an underdog, but the film itself was also made by one. Rocky was a $1,000,000 budget film. Stallone was dead ass broke, with a pregnant wife during filming. To make ends meet, he sold his dog for $40 (whom he later bought back for $15,000). He was an unknown actor and refused to sell his rights to the film unless he was cast as the star.
So Stallone didn’t just play Rocky—he was Rocky.
The Character
Rocky Balboa is anything but a cliché. If you’re going to watch a movie about an uneducated, low-level fighter in the ‘70s, you’d expect a vulgar, angry man. Stallone’s rough appearance doesn’t exactly challenge that assumption.
But Rocky is more wholesome than I expected. He’s a good-hearted man who loves animals; tough with a macho exterior yet awkward and a bit of a loner.
What also makes Rocky relatable is his duality: his ambition and lack thereof. Up until the match, he was a bum.
But also, he’s not a bum. Far from it—he’s a fucking gangster. Once he accepted the fight against Creed, he was determined to prove everyone wrong. He trained like a champ and fought like a champ.
I love Rocky’s character because he demystifies the "bum." Personally, I don’t believe there’s such a thing as one. Everyone has their own corner in the world where they can thrive; the system just doesn’t do a good job of guiding people to their post.
Rocky reminds us that our potential is greater than we realize. If a debt collector living in the slums is capable of achieving great heights, then what makes us any different?
The Romance
Rocky and Adrian, 1976
This part of the film is where I’m most ambivalent.
Even though Rocky and Adrian ended up being a cute couple, the beginning of their courtship didn’t make sense. First, Adrian shows no signs of attraction toward Rocky during the first half of the film. She’s creeped out by him. I was creeped out by him for her.
Second, Adrian is forced by her brother, Paulie, to go on a date with Rocky. When Paulie ambushes her by bringing Rocky to their house, she throws a fit about it. Adrian doesn’t want to go out with Rocky, and she conveys this with utter conviction.
Third, Rocky was a creep on their first date, which doesn’t do his character any favors. He forces her into his apartment after she expresses reluctance. He blocks the door when she says she feels uncomfortable and wants to leave. Instead of letting her go home, he kisses her. They have this full-blown makeout session, and suddenly, she’s into him?
I guess I watched this movie at the wrong time; I’m just too millennial to be cool about date rape.
Despite these bits, their relationship is charming. Rocky’s a sweet boyfriend, and Adrian’s a supportive girlfriend. Her physical transformation was also a nice touch: from shy, awkward “ugly duckling” to a confident, stylish gal.
The Ending
Everything in the film leads up to the fight between Rocky and Creed.
Again, I’m not much of a boxing fan, so I can’t speak much about the match itself. However, I can appreciate the last 15 minutes, knowing the context of the time in which the movie took place.
The ‘70s were full of movies with sad, bleak endings. Films tend to reflect the attitude of the times. America was going through so much shit during the ‘60s and ‘70s: the Vietnam War, the JFK assassination, the Watergate scandal, civil rights protests, and so on.
imagine watching a positive film like Rocky in theaters in 1976. Here’s a nobody who has a million-to-one shot at winning against the greatest boxer in the world. The underdog trope hadn’t been done much at that point, so it was monumental to see the little guy getting a leg up.
Rocky didn’t end up winning, but who cares? He fought a damn good fight, and it was enough to uplift people’s spirits during such a difficult time. Amidst all the doom and gloom, there was hope again.
Watching it now might not have the same impact as it had in the ‘70s, but it still holds up. Rocky not winning the match and having a happy ending was the perfect blend of realism and idealism.
Conclusion
Rocky is one of those movies you must see before you die. After watching it, I can see why it’s such a pop culture phenomenon. While it might resonate more with men, the underlying themes speak to everyone.
I do plan on watching Rocky II in the future, but it might take me some time to get to it. As for Rocky III and Rocky IV, I’ve read too many discouraging things online, so I might just pass on them.
For those who haven’t seen Rocky, don’t make the mistake I did, thinking it’s just some rah-rah boxing movie. It’s more than that, and you ought to watch it to see what I mean.
Receive my letters to stay updated on what I publish 💌
