49th Academy Awards · 1977
Rocky
Directed by John G. Avildsen
“His whole life was a million-to-one shot.”
The story
Rocky Balboa is a Philadelphia club fighter who seems to be going nowhere. But when a stroke of fate puts him in the ring with a world heavyweight champion, Rocky knows that it's his one shot at the big time — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go the distance and come out a winner!
What critics & audiences say
Tomatometer93%Fresh#38 of 98 winnersFamous lines
I just want to say hi to my girlfriend, OK? Yo, Adrian! It's me, Rocky.
I dunno, gaps. She's got gaps, I got gaps. Together, we fill gaps.
Apollo: Ain't gonna be no rematch. Ain't gonna be no rematch.
Rocky: Don't want one.
What about my prime Mick!? Least you had a prime! I didn't have no prime, I didn't have nothin'.
Adrian: It was Thanksgiving.
Rocky: Yeah, to you. But to me, it's Thursday, right?
Mickey: Your nose is broken.
Rocky: How does it look?
Mickey: Ah, it's an improvement.
Look, it's the name, man. 'The Italian Stallion.' The media'll eat it up. Now who discovered America? An Italian, right?
Rocky: Mr. Jergens, the poster's wrong.
Jergens: What do ya mean?
Rocky: Well, I'm wearin' white pants with a red stripe.
Jergens: It doesn't really matter, does it?
Look, if history proves one thing, American history proves that everybody's got a chance to win. Didn't you guys ever hear of Valley Forge or Bunker Hill?
Quotes via Wikiquote
Fun facts
- Sylvester Stallone wrote the Rocky screenplay in three and a half days after watching underdog Chuck Wepner last into the 15th round against Muhammad Ali; Wepner later sued and settled for an undisclosed amount.Wikipedia · Development and writing
- United Artists saw the script as a vehicle for stars like Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds or James Caan, but Stallone refused to let it be made without him in the lead, even turning down a six-figure offer for the rights.Wikipedia · Development and writing
- Made for about $1 million, Rocky grossed $225 million worldwide, a return of over 11,000 percent, and was the highest-grossing film released in 1976.Wikipedia · Box office
- Henry Winkler said ABC bought the Rocky script for a TV movie but wanted it rewritten, so at Stallone's pleading he used his clout as the network's Fonzie to get the rights handed back.Wikipedia · Development and writing
- Rocky and Adrian's first date at an empty ice rink was staged after closing hours because the producers couldn't afford the hundreds of extras a public skating scene would have required.Wikipedia · Filming
- The fight poster shows Rocky in the wrong color shorts; director John G. Avildsen said it was a props mistake they couldn't afford to fix, so a line was written in where the promoter says it 'doesn't really matter, does it?'Wikipedia · Filming
- Susan Sarandon and Cher both auditioned for Adrian, but Sarandon was deemed too pretty for the character and Cher too expensive, before Talia Shire won the part.Wikipedia · Pre-production
- Filming the final fight, Stallone bruised his ribs and Carl Weathers damaged his nose, the opposite of the injuries their characters suffer.Wikipedia · Filming
- Stallone's original script was much darker: trainer Mickey was racist, and the story ended with Rocky throwing the fight after deciding he didn't want to be part of professional boxing.Wikipedia · Filming
- Bill Conti's entire music budget was $25,000, covering his fee, musicians, studio and tape, yet his theme 'Gonna Fly Now' went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.Wikipedia · Music