4 out of 5

Director: Sylvester Stallone

A good speech, a good fight, and a good lasting memory for the series – Stallone knew exactly the right balance of seriousness and smiles to pump into this finale to his Rocky films.  And while it can’t really follow through on any of those depressing notes that kept getting written out of the flicks, and thus not amount to much more than a sentimental thank you to his fans, ‘Rocky Balboa’ is still a well paced, well acted and, yeah, root-for-the-perpetual-underdog feel-good film that’s a lotta’ fun.  So this time between sequels we’re allowed for some actual years to pass – Stallone, in a semi-autobiographical move, is showing us his real age (and the real age of Rocky) and the toll the life has taken on him.  It’s not a bad life, but it’s still a fight – to connect with his son, to mete out legit respect – Adrian has passed on, Paulie is still Paulie, and Rock’s back in Philly, running a restaurant and making due.  A computer match-up between the current heavyweight champ – for whom the public doesn’t have much love – and a Rocky in his prime (which the film references is much like the Marciano / Ali computer match-up of the 60s) stirs interest in an actual fight between the two.  For Rocko, it stirs interest in fighting again, period.  And for Stallone, it gives him dialogue to reflect on what is at the heart of the character (and, we can suppose, Stallone’s career).  Throughout the series, when there have been emotional moments, Sly has proven himself capable of turning this pug into a human we can understand, and he really does turn out some great moments here, for himself, his son, and Paulie.  But once we’re coddled into the actual fight between the two leads, its all for fun.  The interestingly cold cinematography by Clark Mathis is ditched for a legit Pay-Per-View look, and Stallone worked hard to get the fighting right this time, and it looks harsh… but it does look like Stallone vs. a fighter and not a boxer vs. a boxer, but oh well.  You won’t care either.  You’ll be cheering by then, which is the whole point.  We couldn’t have gotten here without Rocky II through V, and it’s pretty awesome to have one guy see it all the way through.