A great story features a hero that faces a challenge that seems insurmountable before succeeding in the most amazing way. It is meant to inspire us and make us believe that we are capable of the same type of victory if we just believe that we can do all that our hero did.
However, in the real world there are consequences and the opening of Rocky 5 makes perfect sense when it seems that Rocky has some kind of physical complications after winning the biggest fight of his career.
To make matters worse we find out that his accountant took advantage of him while he was grieving the loss of his friend, which led to him losing millions of dollars.
In most cases the spouse who was not at fault would probably pack their things and leave. During the last film we saw Adrian on multiple occasions express her concerns so she would certainly have the biggest I told you so moment of their marriage.
However, we already know from previous films that Adrian has always seen Rocky the person so when he wants to fight again in order to save his family from financial ruin she reminds him that his physical condition is a cause of great concern. In fact, it was at this time when he had never been so down that she began with what is probably the most beautiful exchange we see between the two characters in the entire series.
Through good times and bad times until death do us part.
Adrian lives in the here and now and by doing so she looked at the man that she loved and not the decision he made that she firmly disagreed with. He had no problem believing the sincerity of all that she said because throughout the series we have seen that it was always about the two of them being together in that bond where they always willed the good of the other while living the call of agape.
Sadly, Adrian's commitment was not enough to deter Rocky from looking for affirmation elsewhere. Perhaps he was so used to being in the spotlight or felt bad for losing his fortune. Whatever it was, we start to see a determination on his part to get it all back once they return to their old Philadelphia neighborhood.
Soon he would start training a young boxer who moved his way up the heavyweight ranks and once this young star was in a position to earn a title shot Rocky felt he was close to regaining the respect that he had as champion. The problem was that he didn't realize that he didn't need wealth or material things to prove his value to those who mattered most to him. He already had all that he needed from his family who he was now in danger of losing.
Soon he would start training a young boxer who moved his way up the heavyweight ranks and once this young star was in a position to earn a title shot Rocky felt he was close to regaining the respect that he had as champion. The problem was that he didn't realize that he didn't need wealth or material things to prove his value to those who mattered most to him. He already had all that he needed from his family who he was now in danger of losing.
Those who trouble their household (family) inherit the wind (nothing).
-Proverbs 11:29
Rocky was so consumed with taking his young fighter to the top that he didn't offer his son the attention that he needed as he was entering his teen years. Adrian watched closely and patiently and dropped hints here and there to try and redirect Rocky's focus, but nothing registered until his son blows up on him out of frustration. Rocky was crushed by son's pain but still didn't fully understand why his son felt the way he did.
Rocky was so consumed with taking his young fighter to the top that he didn't offer his son the attention that he needed as he was entering his teen years. Adrian watched closely and patiently and dropped hints here and there to try and redirect Rocky's focus, but nothing registered until his son blows up on him out of frustration. Rocky was crushed by son's pain but still didn't fully understand why his son felt the way he did.
Unfortunately, Rocky would have to lose even more before he was ready to hear the truth. Moments after the falling out with his son, his boxing protégé Tommy Gunn stopped by to tell him that he was going to sign with the boxing promoter that would not only offer him a lot of money but also into that dangerous business part of boxing that Rocky was trying to protect him from. Sadly, Rocky's words fall on deaf ears as the temptation of money and fame are too much for Tommy so he speeds off and leaves Rocky behind, regardless of what that he did to get him where he was right now.
Enter Adrian to once again remind him that he was more than he realized.
At the moment when Rocky confessed his inadequacies and how he is not worthy of respect, again based on the way he thinks the world sees him, Adrian reminds him that she respected him because she had lived every battle and struggle with him. She knew all that he endured because she suffered with him. She then explained that he survived those challenges because of his heart, the special gift he had that was like no one else. His heart that propelled him to victories in the ring was the same heart that loved her and their son without question.
After reminding Rocky of the gift he had already shared with others she then lays out some tough love for him. He was not looking in the right direction and by doing so he was hurting the last person he should be hurting, his son! In her words: If there is something you want to pass on pass it on to your son. For God sakes, your son is lost! He needs you!
In other words, his value didn't come from passing on his boxing knowledge to a future champion because there is no point in being a successful trainer if he neglected his duties as a husband and father. It was time for Rocky to get his priorities together and while Adrian was direct with him she still didn't threaten or manipulate him. Her cry was one of desperation and it was timed perfectly since she waited for the moment when Rocky would actually hear and understand what she had to say.
Rocky's ambition clouded his judgment and it was noble of him to want to give more to his family. Still, he needed to learn what was truly important and he was able to trust Adrian because of all of the good times and the bad times that he and Adrian had been through, as well as how she loved him through those challenges.
At the moment when Rocky confessed his inadequacies and how he is not worthy of respect, again based on the way he thinks the world sees him, Adrian reminds him that she respected him because she had lived every battle and struggle with him. She knew all that he endured because she suffered with him. She then explained that he survived those challenges because of his heart, the special gift he had that was like no one else. His heart that propelled him to victories in the ring was the same heart that loved her and their son without question.
After reminding Rocky of the gift he had already shared with others she then lays out some tough love for him. He was not looking in the right direction and by doing so he was hurting the last person he should be hurting, his son! In her words: If there is something you want to pass on pass it on to your son. For God sakes, your son is lost! He needs you!
In other words, his value didn't come from passing on his boxing knowledge to a future champion because there is no point in being a successful trainer if he neglected his duties as a husband and father. It was time for Rocky to get his priorities together and while Adrian was direct with him she still didn't threaten or manipulate him. Her cry was one of desperation and it was timed perfectly since she waited for the moment when Rocky would actually hear and understand what she had to say.
Rocky's ambition clouded his judgment and it was noble of him to want to give more to his family. Still, he needed to learn what was truly important and he was able to trust Adrian because of all of the good times and the bad times that he and Adrian had been through, as well as how she loved him through those challenges.
This is one of the most intimate moments we ever see between the two of them because it is filled with love and forgiveness. Adrian certainly held a lot in but once she let it out she reached for Rocky before an apology left his lips. She knew this man like no one else. She knew that he loved her and their son and that he would do whatever he needed to do in order to take care of his family. Aside from that, she also knew that when she spoke to him that he would listen. Rocky can embrace his wife without hesitation because he knew that when she was direct with her words that it was from her concern for him as well as their family because he too knew how much she loved both him and their son.
Later that night Rocky would have to deal with his son. After some encouragement from his wife, he finds his son and fesses up to all that he had done. Sometimes, parents and other adult figures forget that children are still people with feelings and we are capable of making mistakes, which in turn, hurt these young people. Rocky's son was able to forgive his father because of the memories of all of the love that his father had given to him previously.
Part of loving someone who has wronged us is to understand their actions. Rocky failed when he lost his fortune. He did not keep track of his finances and in doing so he lost all that he had earned. What made it hard for him was remembering his time as a young fighter when his trainer Mickey Goldmill did all that he had done to teach Rocky what he would have to do to take care of himself both in and out of the ring. While these memories of Mickey remind him of the father and son type relationship they had it also reminded Rocky how he didn't heed to all of Mickey's lessons. Regret is a tough thing to live with, especially when one's mistakes have a huge impact on those closest to them.
Interestingly enough, while this movie is the least appreciated by Rocky fans because of what it lacked in action it actually served as a beautiful reminder of what true love is within a family setting. When their surroundings changed their commitment remained. We have a clear picture of how much the Balboas mean to each other and how that love would never fade away.
Rocky and Son
Note: For an even deeper understand of the family's love for each other watch the workprint version of the film
Note: For an even deeper understand of the family's love for each other watch the workprint version of the film
Rocky 5: Workprint Version
Carlos Solorzano
Carlos Solorzano
- BA & MA in Religious Studies from Cal State Long Beach
- Certified Through the Theology of the Body Institute
- Speaker with Catholic Speakers Organization
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