In the final installment of the Rocky series (yeah, right!), things aren't going well for the way-over-the-hill, ex-heavyweight champ. Rocky's beloved wife Adrian is dead ("woman's cancer"), his son is too busy with his own life (an apparent obsession with distancing himself from the Balboa name) to spend time with his old man and his only companion is the more-depressed-than-ever Paulie. Rocky owns a small restaurant in the same South Philly neighborhood where he grew up ... but the old neighborhood "ain't what it used to be". In other words, Rocky is down on his luck and - once again - unable to say no to an against-all-odds challenge.
The reigning heavyweight boxing champ is Mason "The Line" Dixon (Antonio Tarver). Dixon is - surprise! - an unpopular champ because he reigns atop a weak heavyweight division (sound familiar?) and defends his title against a string of no-name, no-talent opponents.
ESPN, as part of a series featuring computer-generated match-ups between athletes of different eras, broadcasts a simulated bout between - guess who? - Rocky Balboa and Mason Dixon. Dixon's camp thinks Balboa vs. Dixon is the perfect vehicle to restore the champ's popularity and - believe-it-or-not - Rocky is up for the challenge.
The balance of the film deals with Rocky's uphill battles against, well, everything: the boxing commission, the media, public opinion, his son's whining, his aching body, logic, common sense . . .
Stallone was 59-years-old during the filming of Rocky Balboa but - to his credit - obviously prepared more dilligently for his fight scenes than many REAL fighters (hello, James Toney?).
RATING: Three Stars (out of Five)
PREDICTION: The reviews will be terrible but fans of the first five films will still show up and be entertained. The movie will open fairly strong but fade quickly as most moviegoers weren't even born when the first Rocky came out in 1976.
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