4/5 🎦

Been wanting to watch Rocky since the first time I knew AFI's Top 100 (this film was No. 2 on AFI Sports Top 10, after Raging Bull).

At the start of watching I am comparing it to Marty Supreme, thinking about how this film had been influential back in 1976 (200th since US founding). Then I was thinking more about Anora, which might be a more evenly matched counterpart contemporarily (I love Anora more than Marty). Same low budget film, similar underdogs, both intrinsically a love story, and both reflected an interpretation of the "American Dream" at the time. Rocky is an Italian stallion boxer, while Ani is a Russian sex worker, though they are both vulnerable and resilient.

史泰龍 really deserves not just a Best Actor but a Best Original Screenplay for this film!

A shout out to Sow and Sew Cinema for organizing the free event at Hamilton Public Library!