The Speculist

The movie Rocky Balboa is great. If you have any appreciation of the series you won't be let down. The love story of Rocky and Adrian really needed this final chapter. [MILD SPOILER] It says something about Talia Shire's wonderful portrayal of Adrian that her absence is so... brutal... in a bittersweet way.

So yeah, Joseph Rago should probably stay away from this one. No irony here. This one is all heart. This is evident not only in the clear love that Stallone and the entire crew obviously have for this character, his story, and the audience, but also because "heart" is central to the plot.

At the beginning of the movie Rocky is almost defeated by life. He's been driven to his knees by the loss of Adrian. He's isolated and he's getting old. But he is still the man he always was: "it ain't about how hard you hit... it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward."

The pro-life extension community could really appreciate the message. Part of the melancholy of the movie is the fact that Rocky is getting older. I think if Rocky were offered youth again he'd jump at it. His triumpth is in acknowledging his youthful spirit even as his body deteriorates. He finds a way to "keep moving forward."