Rocky

Rating: 4.5/5

Rocky, what was initially an Oscar Best Picture winner I was merely curious about, turned into one of my favorite films out of all 93.

When it comes to sports movies, the boxing genre is one where I had a major gap in my viewing past. Baseball has always been my number of sport movie of choice, so I had never really ventured into the boxing and/or fighting category. To be honest, looking back into all the movies I've watched over my lifetime, I don't believe I had seen any boxing movies prior to Rocky, but I'm sure glad that if that's the case, this is the first one I saw. I absolutely loved this. I certainly didn't expect not to, given its highly revered reputation, but I definitely didn't expect it to find its way into my top 25 for Best Picture winners.

Everything about this movie works. Sylvester Stallone is fantastic. He strikes the perfect balance for what his character needs to be. Rocky's not the brightest, but he's authentic, and his determination to become a boxer and to charm Adrian never feel false or fabricated. It is because of Stallone's excellent performance that I found myself filled with excitement as he trained for his fights, and effortlessly smiling as he showed his softer side in his attempts to woo the girl he fancied. I anticipated the former, but was pleasantly surprised by the latter.

I've yet to see the subsequent Rocky sequels, and I've heard they're not all hits, but given how much I enjoyed the original, and I can say with absolute certainty that I will be giving the entire series a watching in the near future.

1977 Best Picture Winner - Rocky

1977 Best Director Winner - John. G. Avildsen

1977 Best Film Editing Winner - Richard Halsey & Scott Conrad