Rocky II (1979)

Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.

Director:

Sylvester Stallone

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky Balboa
Talia Shire	...	Adrian
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo Creed
Burgess Meredith	...	Mickey
Tony Burton	...	Apollo's Trainer
Joe Spinell	...	Gazzo
Leonard Gaines	...	Agent
Sylvia Meals	...	Mary Anne Creed
Frank McRae	...	Meat Foreman
Al Silvani	...	Cutman
John Pleshette	...	Director
Stu Nahan	...	Announcer
Bill Baldwin	...	Commentator
Jerry Ziesmer	...	Salesman

Storyline

Rocky Balboa is enjoying life. He's got a lovely wife, Adrian, had a successful fight with Apollo Creed and is able to enjoy the wealth coming off the draw. Unfortunately, Rocky becomes embarrassed when failing to complete an advert and ends up working in a meat packing company. He believes that he will no longer have a career as a boxer. Apollo wants to rematch with Rocky to prove all his critics wrong that he can beat Rocky. Can Rocky once again have a successful fight?

---

Plot Keywords:

simple man | sports man | eye injury | hit in the face | sweat | 

---

Taglines:

He was one punch away from the heavyweight championship of the world. Now he's one heartbeat away from losing the woman he loves.

---

Genres:

Drama | Sport

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Rocky Anthology Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

15 June 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rocky 2

Filming Locations:

Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 142 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sylvester Stallone's infant son Seargeoh Stallone played the newborn Robert Balboa, Jr. The role would later be played by his elder brother Sage Stallone in Rocky V (1990).

---

Goofs

Letters on a news camera are backwards in at least one frame during the big match, revealing use of a mirror image.

---

Quotes

[During Rocky's retraining]
Mickey: You're gonna eat lightnin'; you're gonna crap thunder.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mr. Mom (1983)

---

Soundtracks

TWO KINDS OF LOVE
Words and Music by Frank Stallone

User Reviews

Excellent sequel

"Rocky II" is one of those sequels that is just as good as the original, if not better in some aspects. I can't say it's better than the original because you can't have the second film without the first one. Meaning that this film does not stand on it's own, you need the first film to understand the characters and back-stories of everything in this film. But all in all, I think "Rocky II" is slightly more enjoyable than the original "Rocky".

In all honesty, I think this film is better directed than the first film. The story seems to flow quite nicely and is slightly faster paced than the original. Not only that, but the main fight in the film is much more exciting and longer.

The acting in "Rocky II" is better as well, or at least I thought so. Sylvester Stallone does a fantastic job with his role of Rocky Balboa and really struts his stuff here. Talia Shire and Burt Young also pull off nice performances. Carl Weathers plays the character of Apollo Creed to a "T". And of course, Burgess Meredith does a fantastic job as Mickey.

This is one of those sequels that truly has the same feel as the original. Granted, it isn't as fresh as the original...but it's a re-match that can't be missed. If you liked the original "Rocky", then you definitely ought to check this one out, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I hope you like the film as much as I do. Thanks for reading,

-LebowskiT1000