The Rocky franchise didn’t hit as hard for me as it would many years later. I first discovered this inaugural 1976 film when my dad had it on VHS; We didn’t own all of the films either, except for the first and the fifth installment by the time it came out, so I would ultimately end up watching them on commercial TV whenever they came on.
The good news is I’d already seen the first three The Karate Kid films. Imaginably, being a bullied during grade school for my nappy hair and mixed complexion, these kinds of underdog stories translated pretty well to me. By this time, 80s-era action films were already central to my upbringing with the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Jeff Speakman, and even Sylvester Stallone taking residency in my adolescent head. Right alongside Batman and Superman.
I was a little more familiar with Rambo at this point too, but it’d be a matter time before Rocky would steal my attention. Inevitably, the story of a poor club boxer and loanshark collector who solicits the help of a grisled coach to go the distance with heavyweight champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) caught on just the same.
Rocky, the character, wanted to be more than who he was then, and especially more than how he was perceived by his peers and friends. Even so, whether or not Rocky could surpass his own fears and doubt, and entrenched anger served as a terrific modifier for his development, with one of the most gripping scenes occuring between Rocky and Mickey, played by Burgess Meredith. It’s a moment of complete and rare vulnerability, which is something I think carries so well with people – men, especially – who struggle with their pain in silence, partly, among other things, because of pride.
It’s not easy pouring your heart out to someone, especially in a world rife with bad faith players eager to stomp on it just to prove something miniscule and petty. Watching this movie, it’s no wonder why this film became such a celebrated classic. That’s what three-and-a-half days of writing did, on top of hustling hard for the main role; Would Rocky be just as good if someone else played it, if not better? Who knows? In my view, probably not, because, well… here we are.
Lead image: United Artists