While flipping through channels today, I caught myself fixed onto the first Rocky movie. I've seen this movie maybe 20 times now, and I still always get drawn back to it. Here are some reasons why I feel it is a prime American movie, in no particular order (if you are worried about spoilers... I feel sorry for you):
Reason #1 - It's a down-and-out story. And not just normal down-and-out, but we're talking lowest of lows. Rocky is a blubbering mess of a person. And the company he keeps all have their own deep issues. Drunkards, shut-ins, loan sharks, etc., all are trash to the common man, but they all possess one redeeming quality. Each person tries to help in the only way they know how.
Reason #2 - It's gritty. This movie is rough. Rocky is shot rough, with a very low budget. The dialogue can be grating at points. The acting certainly isn't textbook. Hell, Stallone had to write in some scenes due to some errors in props. But this only gives the movie a stronger appeal. It brings you into that dirty, uneasy, scrappy environment.
Reason #3 - It has one of the most quintessential montages in the history of film.
Reason #4 - Rocky doesn't win. If he had, people would have written this film off. Rocky was actually inspired by the Chuck Wepner v. Muhammad Ali fight of March 24, 1975, where heavy underdog Wepner went 15 rounds until his demise with only 19 seconds left in the round.
I don't know about you... but I'm inspired to do some one-handed pushups. I might run up some stairs later.
