Rocky Movie

Rocky
Rating:
Run Time: 119 min
MPAA Rating: PG
Released: 1976
Directors: John G. Avildsen
Genre/Type: Drama
Sports Drama
Producers: Robert Chartoff
Irwin Winkler
Plot Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a Philadelphia boxer, is but one step removed from total bum-hood. A once-promising pugilist, Rocky is now taking nickel-and-dime bouts and running strongarm errands for local loan sharks to survive. Even his supportive trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), has given up on Rocky. All this changes thanks to Muhammad Ali-like super-boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). With the Bicentennial celebration coming up, Creed must find a "Cinderella" opponent for the big July 4th bout -- some unknown whom Creed can "glorify" for a few minutes before knocking him cold. Rocky Balboa was not the only Cinderella involved here: writer/director Sylvester Stallone, himself a virtual unknown, managed to sell his Rocky script (one of 35 that he'd written over the years) on the proviso that he be given the starring role. Since the film was to be made on a shoestring and marketed on a low-level basis, the risk factor to United Artists was small. For Stallone, this was a make-or-break opportunity -- just like Rocky's million-to-one shot with Apollo Creed. Costing under a million dollars, Rocky managed to register with audiences everywhere, earning back 60 times its cost. The film won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Back to the top Images of Rocky

Popular Products on Rocky

Videos of Rocky

Back to the top Top Questions about Rocky

ROCKY 4: Rocky watches his friend Apollo Creed die in an "exhibition match" against Russian boxer Ivan Drago. ChaCha on!
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii (rick-ETT-cee-uh rick-ETT-cee-eye), which is carried by ticks. People usually start having fevers and feeling nauseous about a week after being bitten b...
the Rocky Mountains are located in the Yukon, British Columbia, and Alberta.
1 2 »

Cast

Actors Character Born
Sylvester Stallone Rocky Balboa Jul 6, 1946 in New York City, NY
Talia Shire Adrian Apr 25, 1946 in Lake Success/Jamaica, New York
Burt Young Paulie Apr 30, 1940 in Queens, New York City, NY
Carl Weathers Apollo Creed Jan 14, 1948 in New Orleans, LA
Burgess Meredith Mickey Nov 16, 1908 in Cleveland, OH
Thayer David Jergens Mar 4, 1926 in Medford, MA
Joe Spinell Gazzo
Jodi Letizia Marie
DeForest Covan Apollo's Corner
Tony Burton Apollo's Trainer
Jack Hollander Fats
Diana Lewis TV Commentator
Frank Stallone A Street Corner Singer Jul 30, 1950 in New York City, NY
Stan Shaw Dipper Jul 14, 1952 in Chicago, IL
Jane Marla Robbins Gloria, Pet Shop Owner
Lloyd Kaufman Drunk
1 2 »

Back to the topReview

Review by Richard Gilliam
Rocky is an unashamed feel-good movie. It is essentially a reworking of Paddy Chayefsky's Marty, only instead of a shy butcher in a grocery, the protagonist is a shy butcher for a local loan shark. The real-life tale is now legendary -- how the struggling young writer Sylvester Stallone was in the audience for Muhammad Ali's boxing match with (reputed) mob enforcer and all-around tough guy Chuck Wepner, only to wonder if it wouldn't make a better story if the underdog weren't beaten into a senseless pulp by the mercurial champion. Later, Stallone, still unsuccessful and very broke, would refuse an offer for his screenplay, insisting that the deal include his playing the title role. Much like the character in his screenplay, Stallone would get his unlikely chance at success and prevail in Rocky-like fashion. At the heart of the film is Rocky's reluctant romance with the similarly shy Adrian (Talia Shire). Director John G. Avildsen expertly stretched his meager budget with skillfully selected Philadelphia location shots, most notably Rocky's training montage, which ends at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. With Network and Taxi Driver as the primary competition, the Academy opted for the upbeat Rocky, giving it three Oscars, including Best Picture.

Rocky on TV

Zip Code: 10010 · Provider: Verizon Fios Freehold NY Plus-Digital (Jersey City) Edit
Dec 2 , 6:00 AM ET · Rocky  · Channel 352 · ENCRL · Duration: 120 min.
Table of Contents
Plot
Images
Products
Videos
Top Questions
Cast
Review
TV Listings