Training in my garage at the moment, after a long work week, and this popped up on my YouTube feed.
It’s been many years since I was a teenager going running at night listening to the rocky soundtrack on my Walkman, but the inspiration I’ve taken from this character, and My respect for Stallone himself is something I can’t fully convey. He’s just been “there” in so many ways at different points on my life.
I noticed Stallone has a pronounced pec tear (right side) while rehearsing the fight seen with Mr.T. I don’t believe I’d ever noticed that before; wonders of make-up perhaps.
Also I wasn’t aware Stallone was acquainted with Herve Villachaize. But why would he have him in his presence while he was working out?
I use a Metallica station on Pandora to work out. After a few “thumbs ups” and “thumbs downs” Eye of the Tiger played. Of course that got an immediate thumbs up. Then for days I got theme music from ALL the Rocky movies. While good, they aren’t ALL the best to train to.
I wonder if the one thing everyone posting on this site has in common is a childhood love of Rocky. Like, is that what activated us all in this direction?
Classic underdog story I suppose. When I saw Rocky, it spoke to me on some weird level that I probably didn’t understand then. That notion of having heart, of refusing to lay down, to stand there, and take what life throws at you, standing up for your worth no matter who else agrees or not. Going that one more round when you’re not sure if you can…
I love plucky underdog movies unabashedly - plucky inner-city school teachers, plucky dud-team coaches, plucky terrorizing-kids foster parents - but Rocky brings to the table an element that I don’t typically see even in other sports-related underdog movies, which is the training piece. They just did that transformation part so well.
I’ve cheered for the Titans, The Mighty Ducks, the Stand and Deliver kids, Good Will, The Million Dollar Baby, Mulan…all of them. I love me some underdog movies! But most of them don’t make me itch to work out.