Rocky Balboa Is Old

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Watch Creed last night.

A fine edition to the Rocky series.

The acting was good. The fight scenes were great.

Like every movie in the Rocky Series...

...I enjoyed it.

But my mind wandered a little as the movie unfolded.

I saw the first Rocky when I was back in junior high school.

There had never really been such a movie although Raging Bull was a great boxing movie.

But Rocky had something.

By the time Rocky II and Rocky III rolled around, Stallone was in the prime of his life.

I distinctly recall seeing Rocky III with a girl and my ever-present buddy Jeff Renaldo and his date.

My date asked me, as we were leaving the theatre about my physical aspirations.

"Why can't you get some muscles?" She asked.

"I don't want muscles," I answered.

We both laughed.

The years flew by.

But when you go back to a Rocky movie...

...time sort of stands still.

In Creed the Stallone character talks about getting older.

"Time is undefeated," he mentions.

That blows!

Why do we have to get older???

But we do.

And each phase of life brings its own challenges.

Every girl since that date back in 1982 has asked the same question about the muscles.

I don't want 'em.

And now I'll never have them.

But as the movie went along I thought about all of the things that happened since I first saw Rocky Balboa on the big screen.

An entire life has unfolded.

The Balboa character references the happiness, the sadness, the top of the mountain and the valley floor.

We watched him live and we watched him fail.

Just as we all have.

I hope there's ten more movies in the franchise.

Somehow.

I hope I'm going to a premiere for the movie about Rocky's grandchild's first fight...

...in about 2040.

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