Bobby vs. Rocky

I don't know if you read magazines as much as I do (which is a lot), but there's been a slew of articles about Bobby, the new ensemble drama directed by Emilio Estevez. One of the main themes everybody seems to bring up is that this film, or rather, the incident that provokes this film, was a watershed moment in American history. When Bobby Kennedy was shot, America lost its innocence.

Boo-hoo.

It's not that I'm insensitive to such sentiment, but I wasn't alive back then and I somehow doubt the star of Repo Man can adequately convey the sense of loss stemming from just so significant an event. Which makes it somewhat ironic that I'm pinning my hopes on another 80s era icon that has gone back to directing: Sylvester Stallone.

Here's why:

http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1521857&sdm=web&qtw=640&qth=400

I don't get it. Why is this movie pushing all my emotional buttons? I also wasn't alive when the first Rocky came out and have had only a passing interest in the franchise. But there's something here that makes me think more about America's loss of innocence than the slaying of our last great chance for an honest President.

Now, I haven't seen the finished film, but it already seem to represent the kind of movie that hasn't been made since, well ... the first Rocky. I'm all for postmodern irony, and big special effects and dark independent drama and all that, but when was the last time we saw something sincere; something emotionally honest? Rocky Balboa, the sequel (or re-hash) that it is, may not have an original bone in its frail, been-there, done-that body. But, hell, I feel inspired ... and that actually feels pretty good.

I want an old man crawling back in the ring to stand toe-to-toe with some primetime player. I want slurred speech, big montages, over-the-top emotion. I want a damn theme song that I can actually hum and feel better about myself and the world.

In short, I'm buying what Rocky Balboa is selling. To hell with all the cynics.