Rocky (1976)

A small-time boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavy-weight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

Director:

John G. Avildsen

Writer:

Sylvester Stallone

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young

Top Rated Movies #220 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Rocky
Talia Shire	...	Adrian
Burt Young	...	Paulie
Carl Weathers	...	Apollo
Burgess Meredith	...	Mickey
Thayer David	...	Jergens
Joe Spinell	...	Gazzo
Jimmy Gambina	...	Mike
Bill Baldwin	...	Fight Announcer
Al Silvani	...	Cut Man (as Al Salvani)
George Memmoli	...	Ice Rink Attendant
Jodi Letizia	...	Marie
Diana Lewis	...	TV Commentator
George O'Hanlon	...	TV Commentator
Larry Carroll	...	TV Interviewer

Storyline

Rocky Balboa is a struggling boxer trying to make the big time, working as a debt collector for a pittance. When heavyweight champion Apollo Creed visits Philadelphia, his managers want to set up an exhibition match between Creed and a struggling boxer, touting the fight as a chance for a "nobody" to become a "somebody". The match is supposed to be easily won by Creed, but someone forgot to tell Rocky, who sees this as his only shot at the big time.

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Plot Keywords:

boxer | 1970s | boxing | training | philadelphia pennsylvania | 

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Taglines:

His whole life has been a million-to-one shot...Now, Rocky Balboa is about to show the world that he's one-in-a-million.

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Genres:

Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rocky

Filming Locations:

2822-2824 Rosehill St, Philadelphia, Pensylvannia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$960,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,000,000, 5 December 1976

Gross USA:

$117,235,247

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$225,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chartoff-Winkler Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 145 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John G. Avildsen was so excited about the film, he reduced his usual salary to about 50,000 dollars, and a percentage of the profits.

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Goofs

55 seconds into the first round, Rocky scores a knockdown and Apollo doesn't rise to his feet anywhere near the count of 10. If you count it out, it's more like 15-18, depending on how fast you count. Rocky wins in the first round.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Club fight attendee: Come on, Spider!

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Crazy Credits

Butkus the dog is credited as "Butkus Stallone".

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Alternate Versions

Talia Shire's character Adrian becomes Adriana in the Italian version.

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Rad (2011)

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Soundtracks

Gonna Fly Now
Music by Bill Conti
Lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins
Performed by Deetta West and Nelson Pigford

User Reviews

Changed My Life

"Your gonna eat lightning and your gonna crap thunder"

Rocky is about a poor boxer living his life in Philadalphia. His life changes when an invitation from the heavyweight champ Apollo Creed is given to him.

Romance, Drama, Fight.

Story- With minimum resources and low money, this movie was an underdog itself. Stallone wrote it and fought to play Rocky. When they were low on resources, they changed the story all together and made it even better. The story is flawless and keeps you on the edge of your seat. 9/10

Music- The best thing about the movie itself. The music in this movie is guaranteed to give you goosebumps every time you watch it. Bill Conti gives you an excellent score throughout the movie, including the famous "gonna fly now". 10/10

Acting- 4 nominated performances in this movie. The acting is very good as well, especially Burgess Meredith who offers one of the greatest acts I have ever seen. Stallone plays Rocky Balboa and changes his voice very well to be Rocky. He did a very good job. Talia Shire plays Adrian, a shy pet store owner who has never had a BF before. She did a good job as well. Burt Young plays the drunkard Paulie. Burgess Merideth plays the boxing trainer Mickey. I have never seen a better performance. 9.5/10

Stallone fought for this triumphant movie that made me want to go the distance (sounds corny but its true). It made me strive to work harder and not give up. If you haven't seen this, buy it and watch it. I'll guarantee it will change you too. A classic.

I give it a perfect 10/10