Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), a Philadelphia boxer, is but one step removed from total bum-hood. A once-promising pugilist, Rocky is now taking nickel-and-dime bouts and running strongarm errands for local loan sharks to survive. Even his supportive trainer, Mickey (Burgess Meredith), has given up on Rocky. All this changes thanks to Muhammad Ali-like super-boxer Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). With the Bicentennial celebration coming up, Creed must find a "Cinderella" opponent for the big July 4th bout -- some unknown whom Creed can "glorify" for a few minutes before knocking him cold. Rocky Balboa was not the only Cinderella involved here: writer/director Sylvester Stallone, himself a virtual unknown, managed to sell his Rocky script (one of 35 that he'd written over the years) on the proviso that he be given the starring role. Since the film was to be made on a shoestring and marketed on a low-level basis, the risk factor to United Artists was small. For Stallone, this was a make-or-break opportunity -- just like Rocky's million-to-one shot with Apollo Creed. Costing under a million dollars, Rocky managed to register with audiences everywhere, earning back 60 times its cost. The film won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Genre: Drama
- Category Sports Drama
- Theme: Underdogs, Redemption, Boxers
- Studio: MGM
- Run Time: 02 hr
- Language: Spanish, English, French
- Subtitle Language: English, Spanish, French
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: DVD
- Lead Actor: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith
- Supporting Actor: George Memmoli, Lloyd Kaufman, Al Silvani, Simmy Bow, Kathleen Parker, James Gambina, Shirley O'Hara Krims, Don Sherman, DeForest Covan, Billy Sands, Bill Baldwin, George O'Hanlon, Lou Filippo, Jane Marla Robbins, Diana Lewis, Larry Carroll, Joe Frazier, Stan Shaw, Tony Burton, Frankie Van, Hank Rolike, Jack Hollander, Frank Stallone, Thayer David, Jodi Letizia, Joe Spinell
- Director: John G. Avildsen
awards
- Awards: Academy Awards (3)
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Director, 1976, John G. Avildsen
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Picture, 1976, Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 1976, Scott Conrad, Richard Halsey
- Nominations: Academy Awards (6), Golden Globe Awards (4)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Actress, 1976, Talia Shire
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor, 1976, Burt Young, Burgess Meredith
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Original Screenplay, 1976, Sylvester Stallone
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Song, 1976, Carol Connors, Bill Conti, Ayn Robbins
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Pictur, 1976, Talia Shire
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, 1976, Sylvester Stallone
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Screenplay, 1976, Sylvester Stallone
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Sound, 1976, Bud Alper, Wiliam L. McCaughey, Harry W. Tetrick, Lyle J. Burbridge
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Original Score, 1976, Bill Conti
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Actor, 1976, Sylvester Stallone
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