Film Notes
     "John Avildsen's 1976, Oscar-winning drama scripted by star Sylvester Stallone had as big an impact on the subsequent course of American films as Star Wars or Jaws. Stallone plays Rocky Balboa, a Philadelphia loser working as a half-hearted enforcer for local mobsters while boxing on the side with choppy conviction. A publicity stunt engineered by the world heavyweight champion (Carl Weathers) gives the marble-mouth hero a shot at the brass ring. The populist tale that follows finds Balboa cleaning up his act and taking his perhaps one-and-only chance seriously. Those affected by his dedication (Talia Shire as Rocky's girlfriend, Burgess Meredith as his grizzled manager) are like boats that catch a rising tide, and pretty soon the whole country gets behind the dreams of this upstart. Rocky set into play a particularly positive story paradigm with a wish-fulfillment ending that has worn thin over the years, but oversimplification is uniquely well-suited to this innocent and enjoyable movie." (Tom Keogh, Amazon.com)