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Rocky Balboa (2006) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Rocky Balboa can be found here.

So far, there are six Rocky movies, all written by and starring Sylvester Stallone as Rocky. Rocky Balboa was preceded by Rocky (1976), Rocky II (1979), Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985), and Rocky V (1990).

This film takes place roughly 30 years after the events of the original Rocky, which places it in 2005-2006.

Rocky (1976): November 25, 1975 - January 1, 1976

Rocky II (1979): January 1, 1976 - November 25, 1976

Rocky III (1982): early-1979 - early-1980

Rocky IV (1985): early-1985 - December 25, 1985

Rocky V (1990): December 25, 1985 - early-1987 (or 1988, 1989, 1990?)

Rocky Balboa (2006): late-2005 - February 26, 2006

In Rocky, Rocky was 30, meaning he was born in 1945. As this film is set in 2005-2006, Rocky is roughly 59/60. At one point, a commentator does refer to "other fighters in their fifties", but at no time during the film is Rocky's exact age specified.

In Rocky V, Rocky is revealed to be suffering from a condition called Cavum septum pellucidum (CSP), a condition which forces him to retire because no state will grant him a boxing license. In Rocky Balboa, this condition is never mentioned, and Rocky is seemingly able to return to the ring without any problems. Indeed, when he attends the hearing as to whether or not he will be granted a new license, Rocky is told that he passed all the physical tests with flying colors, suggesting that his condition has cleared up.

Sylvester Stallone himself has address this issue: "When Rocky was diagnosed with brain damage, it must be noted that many athletes have a form of brain damage, including football players, soccer players, and other individuals in contact sports such as rugby, etc. Rocky never went for a second opinion and yielded to his wife's wishes to stop. So with the advent of new research techniques into brain damage, Rocky was found to be normal among fighters, and he was suffering the results of a severe concussion. By today's standards Rocky Balboa would be given a clean bill of health for fighters." (See here for the full interview).

Yes it is. Rocky beat Apollo Creed for the title at the end of Rocky II. In Rocky III then, having successfully defended the title over the course of 10 fights, he lost to Clubber Lang, before subsequently defeating him in the rematch. He then temporarily relinquished the title so he could fight an unsanctioned match in Russia against Ivan Drago. However, due to the injuries caused in that fight, when he returned to America, he announced his retirement, and the title was vacated. It was subsequently captured by Union Cane in a contenders tournament, but Cane dropped it to Tommy Gunn in his first defense.

No. In Rocky, prior to his title fight with Apollo, Rocky's record is 44-20. Over the course of Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV and Rocky V, Rocky wins thirteen fights (one against Creed, one against Lang, one against Drago and 10 against unnamed opponents in Rocky III and loses two (one against Creed and one against Lang). This should make his record 57-22. The additional loss on his record in Rocky Balboa cannot be accounted for and seemingly represents a mistake on the part of the filmmakers.

This has become a point of great debate amongst the fans. As stated above, taking all of the evidence into consideration, Rocky's record in Rocky Balboa should be 57-22, not 57-23-1. However, whilst there is no apparent explanation for the extra defeat, there are in fact three posible explanations for the draw. Firstly, it could have been the Thunderlips charity fight in Rocky III, which was declared a no-contest. Secondly, some fans have speculated that it could represent a title match with Tommy Gunn which occurred after the end of Rocky V (although this is pure speculation). Thirdly, it could have occurred some time between Rocky III and Rocky IV. There is a five year period between these two films which is seemingly not taken into account in his record (if one goes by the numbers, it implies that in the five years between Rocky III and Rocky IV, Rocky never once defended the title). Whatever the case however, there is no solid evidence for any of these three possibilities, and the question as to where the draw came from remains open.

It is never specified, but presumably, the experience of managing Tommy Gunn left Rocky with a sour taste regarding the business and so he decided to get out of the fight game. It is worth noting that in Rocky V, Paulie also works at Mick's, so after Rocky gave it up, Paulie obviously went back to the meat plant he worked in in the original Rocky.

Talia Shire's character, Adrian, was in the first few drafts of the script of what was originally called Rocky VI: Puncher's Chance. At this point, the story revolved around Rocky running a youth hostel. However, writer Sylvester Stallone felt that the film lacked the necessary emotional impact it needed. So, he and Talia Shire came to an agreement that her character would be best left out of the film, as this would create an emotional chasm for Rocky from the very first moment of the film. To ensure that fans didn't think she'd been written out of the film because of a dispute with Stallone or because she refused to be in it, Shire made a public statement supporting Stallone's decision to kill off the character.

If Adrian was born in 1950, this would mean she was only 25 in Rocky. Many fans have made the mistake that she was 30, however, in actual fact, her brother Paulie simply states that she is "pushing 30," not that she actually is 30.

These turtles are called Cuff and Link, and were introduced in Rocky, where they were played by the same two actual turtles who play them in Rocky Balboa. Their significance to the Rocky mythos is that they formed the basis of the first bad joke which Rocky tells Adrian in Rocky.

Spider Rico (played by real life professional boxer Pedro Lovell in both Rocky and Rocky Balboa) was the first on-screen opponent of Rocky. When he says to Rocky that "last time you got lucky", he is referring to the opening scene from Rocky. That film begins with Rocky fighting Rico. Rico appears to be dominating the match, but he headbutts Rocky, cutting above his eye, and sending him into a rage. Rocky begins to pummel Rico, and the referee steps in to stop the fight. After returning to the locker room, Rocky meets Rico, who tells him that he got lucky in winning the fight.

Lil' Marie was the girl Rocky walked home in Rocky, warning her that if she does not stop hanging around with the crowd she is, she will end up a whore. She silently listens to his rambling advice, allowing him to walk her to her hall door, before turning around to him and saying, "Screw you, creepo." In Rocky, Marie was played by Jodi Letizia; in Rocky Balboa, she is played by Geraldine Hughes. It is also worth noting that the character originally had a role in Rocky V, where she was again to be portrayed by Jodi Letizia. Her appearence was to reveal that she actually had become a prostitute, and that she had recently been evicted from her flat, but the scene was cut in post-production. Marie does still appear in Rocky V, albeit briefly and without any dialogue, during the streetfight scene at the end of the film. She is not acknowledged in any way however.

In Rocky II, Rocky buys Rolexes for himself, Adrian and Paulie. In Rocky III, Paulie smashes the watch.

It's never explained in the film exactly why the statue was removed. In reality however, the reason the statue was removed was because The Philadelphia Art Museum felt it was more a work of pop-culture and not art, so they demanded it be removed. After a massive protest movement organised by the people of Philadelphia, the statue was relocated to in front of the Wachovia Spectrum in South Philadelphia. It was later returned to the Art Museum for the filming of Rocky V, after which it was again moved to the front of the Spectrum. See here for more information. Many fans feel that the reference to the removal of the statue in Rocky Balboa is a subtle reference to this incident.

It is a reference to Rocky himself being punchy, ie a little mentally slow due to receiving too many blows to the head. Steps is essentially trying to insult Rocky. Although Rocky doesn't appear to get the reference, Marie does and tells Rocky that her son is being disrespectful.

Mason Dixon's nickname, 'The Line', is a reference to the Mason-Dixon line, a demarcation line that forms the border between Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and Maryland. See here for more information.

33-0 (30 KOs)

Mason "The Line" Dixon won a split decision.The final score cards were: 95-94 Dixon, 94-95 Balboa, 95-94 Dixon.

Interesingly, in the alternate ending on the DVD, Rocky wins the match (with the score: 95-94 Dixon, 94-95 Balboa, 94-95 Balboa).

It's impossible to say. He is never mentioned in Rocky Balboa. In Rocky V, we do hear George Washington Duke (Richard Gant) say to Tommy during his street fight with Rocky, "If you lose you're finished". Despite the fact that Gunn was the world heavyweight champion, the shame of being involved in a streetfight with his former trainer would obviously have a negative affect on his career, and after the fight, Duke probably just washed his hands of him. Subsequently, without the training of Rocky or the protection of Duke, Gunn most likely lost the title and fizzled out into a nobody.

Yes, albeit obliquely. First of all, there is Rocky's general situation in life. In Rocky V, Rocky lost all of his money and most of his possessions, and this is reflected in Rocky Balboa in terms of his modest lifestyle and home. Secondly, there are some actual references to Rocky V, although they're subtle and could be easily missed. Firstly, he briefly refers to his relationship with Robert (Rocky) Jr. as "home team", a term which originated in Rocky V. Additionally, right before the fight against Mason Dixon, Rocky and Robert are joking around and Rocky tells his son to be careful because he is brittle. This is a reference to the last scene of Rocky V, where he makes a similar comment.

Perhaps the reason there are not more references to Rocky V is that the events of that film are simply too painful for Rocky to relieve, and he doesn't enjoy talking about that period in his life. Having a streetfight with the newly crowned world heavyweight champion wouldn't be something he would be especially proud of. Additionally, if one thinks about it, in Rocky V, Rocky ultimately ended up as a failed trainer, and he was betrayed badly by a man in whom he placed all of his trust (in this respect, it is significant that he is no longer working at Mighty Mick's Boxing). Obviously these factors would combine to make this period in Rocky's life a time he doesn't like to think about, or talk about.

So all in all, yes, Rocky V is referred to, but not in as obvious a manner as Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV.

No. The Rocky franchise is over.

Yes. Rocky only agreed to accept this fight against Mason 'The Line' Dixon because he felt he still had one last fight in him and because he wanted to prove something to himself. Significant in this sense is his conversation with Paulie regarding the "beast" inside him. Rocky says that sometimes the beast is so close to the surface that it nearly overwhelms him, and that he feels he has to give it one last outing. Immediately before the fight with Dixon begins, and then again immediately before the last round, Paulie tells Rocky to let loose the beast and release his anger. Then, after the fight is over, Rocky tells Paulie that the beast is gone, implying that he is finally at peace with himself and that he can get on with the rest of his life.

Both the R1 US DVD released by MGM Home Entertainment in 2007, and the R2 UK DVD released by MGM Home Entertainment (UK) in 2007, contain the following special features:

A feature length commentary with writer/director/actor Sylvester Stallone.

Seven deleted scenes (see below for more information on these scenes).

An alternate ending (see above for more information on this scene).

Outtakes and bloopers (2 minutes)

'Skill vs. Will: The Making of 'Rocky Balboa''; a 17 minute making-of featurette.

'Reality in the Ring: Filming Rocky's Final Fight'; a 15 minute featurette looking at the training for and shooting of the climatic fight in the film

The theatrical trailer.

There are 8 deleted scenes on the DVD:

1. 'Paulie Paints': Prior to embarking on his tour of locales which remind him of Adrian, Rocky goes to visit Paulie to ask him to join him. Paulie refuses, and then begins to complain that they're training somebody to replace him at the meat plant. Rocky pleads with Paulie to come on the tour and Paulie suggests that Rocky can't handle living alone. Rocky takes offence to this and is leaving, when Paulie relents and says he'll go on the tour.

2. 'Breakfast': After having his boxing license renewed, Rocky is in the kitchen making breakfast and decides to drink some raw eggs. However, he is unable to swallow them, and has to spit them back up into the glass. It is also revealed in this scene that Paulie has moved in with Rocky at some stage.

3. 'Andy's Bar (Original)': There is an alternative version of the scene where Rocky meets Marie (Geraldine Hughes) for the first time. In this version, the bar is packed, and Rocky meets Andy (Don Sherman), the barman from Rocky, Rocky III and Rocky V to discover that he has lost a leg to diabetes. They briefly discuss the old times, and Marie tells Rocky who she is, when Rocky is approached by Angie (Angela Boyd). The scene then plays out similarly to the theatrical version.

4. 'Paulie's Girlfriend Moves His Things': Rocky arrives home to find Paulie's girlfriend, Betty, moving Paulie's things out of the house. Rocky asks her what she's doing and she tells him that Paulie is moving in with her.

5. 'Rocky and Steps': Prior to the scene where Rocky and Steps (James Francis Kelly III) go to get the dog, there is a scene where they are unloading Rocky's van. Rocky is trying to give Steps some life advice, but Steps is flippantly dismissing him. Rocky asks Steps about his father, and tells him that he should always listen to his mother. Rocky then tells him that if he wants something in life, he has to go out and get it, but Steps points out that Rocky's success was based on freak luck. Rocky then asks him if he likes dogs.

6. 'Paulie Breaks Down': After Paulie loses his temper about the watch, and storms out of the restaurant, Rocky follows him, and their conversation is longer than in the theatrical version. Paulie begins to break down about how he has lost his job and how his life has fallen apart. He says he wishes he'd died instead of Adrian, and he acknowledges that he used to treat her bad. Then he points out that Rocky is the only thing he has in the world, but he treats him bad too, just as he did with his sister. He then asks Rocky if he can move back into the house, to which Rocky agrees.

7. 'Rocky Sparring': After telling Robert Jr. (Milo Ventimiglia) that he will be going ahead with the fight, there is a scene where Rocky is sparring, but can't concentrate, and almost gets knocked out. Marie asks Paulie what's wrong with Rocky and he blames her for making him rusty.

8. An alternative ending where Rocky wins the fight rather than Dixon. The main difference between this ending and the theatrical ending is that this version includes a short scene where Dixon is being interviewed in the ring prior to the result, and is talking about how he now understands respect. After Rocky is announced the winner, the scene plays out exactly as it does in the theatrical version.