Let me tell you. This past weekend was a banner Philadelphia-movies weekend for me. I watched "Fallen", "Rocky II" and "Philadelphia" - all set in (where else?) - Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love.
This review focuses on "Rocky II" the second (duh) in the Rocky" movie series. "Rocky II" starts with the last scene in "Rocky" - the big fight. This was an interesting way to start a sequel and something much appreciated, especially if you haven't seen the first movie or if it's been awhile since you saw it.
"Rocky II" was filmed 3 years after the original "Rocky" and here's where there were some problems. First, you didn't even have to look all that closely to see that the actors were older, with different hairstyles - and for Stallone, a different body physique. Right after the big fight, everyone goes to the hospital to get fixed up, so in the film it's about 10 minutes after the fight, when in reality the actors are years, not minutes, older.
After Rocky's released from the hospital - where he's told he should never fight again because of his eye - he takes Adrienne to the Philadelphia Zoo to propose. "You know I was wondering if you knew what you was doing for like the next 40 or 50 years." he says to her. "I'll be a good guy. I promise." he says when she says yes.
They get married and after the wedding he's carrying Adrienne down the street when they come upon some street corner do-wop singers. Stallone's real-life brother Frank Stallone being the lead do-wop singer. I have to think that if it weren't for "Rocky" movies, Frank Stallone wouldn't have had a music career.
Rocky uses the money he made from the fight to buy a car, even though he can't drive, and they buy a rowhome. Of course Adrienne gets pregnant - with Talia Shire wearing some of the ugliest maternity clothes I have ever seen.
Rocky tries to do commercials, but he has a problem reading and Stallone's acting at this point is almost painful to watch. He tries to get a regular job, but everyone keeps trying to get him to fight. He finally gets a job in a meat packing warehouse, which almost made me turn vegetarian.
He gets laid off, and you guessed it, has to go back to boxing. Apollo wants a rematch but Apollo's people don't. Of course it happens anyway.
"Rocky, you got anything derogatory to say about the Champ?" asks a reporter before the fight. "Derogatory. Um, yea. He's great." says Rocky.
"He will beat you uglier than you are now." says Mickey to Rocky. Mickey's training techniques involve getting Rocky to catch a live chicken. "Move your tail!" screams Mickey to Rocky. "I feel like a Kentucky Fried idiot." says Rocky to Mickey.
Adrienne has the baby boy a month early and she ends up in a coma. Ok, now, the woman's in a coma, right? There are no wires hooked up to her, no machines, no oxygen mask, no i.v. drips, nothing. It just looked like she was sleeping.
Of course Adrienne comes out of the coma and we see Rocky training for the big fight to "Rocky" music. And of course, in the end Rocky does eventually catch the chicken.
So although this movie has some nice moments, it doesn't have any great moments and at times is very slow. Therefore it gets a 2 out of 5 recommendation.
It s the rematch of the century as Rocky Balboa takes on Apollo Creed in this powerful follow-up to one of the most acclaimed movies in film history. ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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