Rocky Balboa (DVD, 2007)

When this movie first came out, my son begged me to see it, but I inwardly groaned and resisted with every fiber of my being. How many Rocky incarnations are we supposed to put up with? When the DVD came out I finally relented, and you know what? I'm glad I did.

Rocky is past the prime of his life, has settled into an obviously reluctant retirement from boxing, and has lost Adrian, the woman he so dearly loved. Rocky spends a lot of time reminiscing about the past, and his life with Adrian. Cranky ole Paulie (gotta love him!) is still around, but has lost patience with Rocky's inability to let go of the past. Likewise, Rocky has a strained relationship with his son, who is angry about having to live under the shadow of the Italian Stallion.

The reigning heavyweight champ is a young boxer by the name of Mason "The Line" Dixon. In the ring, Mason always manages to pound the competition in the first round, which has left boxing fans feeling disappointed and alienated. For fun, ESPN holds a virtual boxing match between Mason and Rocky (in his prime), and you guessed it, Rocky wins! This virtual boxing match sets off a chain of events that leads Rocky back into the ring.

Bittersweet, nostalgic, extremely touching, and of course you want Rocky to win! The boxing scenes were well-choreographed, and so action-packed they made my heart pound! I was also highly impressed by the dialogue (especially Lil' Marie's pep talk and the what-for Rocky finally gives his son), which was written by none other than Sylvester Stallone himself. ROCKY BALBOA serves to remind us that it's not whether you win or lose, but it's how you play the game. Well worthy!