Bouncing from group home to juvenile lock-up, Donnie is tracked down by the fallen boxer’s widow Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad, in an all-too-limited role), taking him into her home, in what seems like an attempt to get back a piece of the husband she lost and the opportunity to protect that which she couldn’t protect before. He “merely” survives the 15-round crucible, proving to himself he’s not a coward or a quitter. “The cultural impact of the “Rocky” franchise is felt all the time”. Also Creed is leading the Tuesday night previews with $1.4 million, ahead of The Good Dinosaur’s $1.2 million (that number is higher than most original animations so don’t think for a second that Creed could potentially take the weekend, it can’t and it won’t and that’s ok).
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It’s sharply written and acted, with filmmaker Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station) re-teaming with star Michael B. Jordan for a worthwhile offshoot that proves itself both for fans of the venerable series and for a younger generation eager for a new champion. “I always told myself I’d sacrifice all of my 20s-every day-to my career”, he tells Men’s Fitness. He’s been slipping off to Mexico to box in fights called “smokers”. Coolger asked. “Is it the strength that my father had when I was a kid and I ran to him and he would pick me up with one arm?” With nobody willing to train him in California, he packs up his belongings and heads for Philadelphia, seeking the tutelage of Rocky.
Rocky wants no part of this. Saved from a life of crime by Apollo’s wife, he quits his corporate job and sets out to become a pro boxer – like the dad he never knew existed. But not completely at peace, because-surprise!-eventually he agrees to give Donny a few tips. A lot of the time, your coach can make something sound real simple, but then you go in there and try to do it and it’s not as easy as it looks, you know what I mean?
Unlike the previous “Rocky” movies, however, Stallone wasn’t necessarily best suited to write this story.
One of the most notorious Oscar snubs of recent years was the Academy overlooking Coogler and Jordan’s 2013 collaboration, “Fruitvale Station”.
Let’s put it on the record that I am not a fan of sequels, especially those in which previously nuanced lead characters transform into comic-book heroes paired up against comic-book villains. I’m not a musician myself, but I’m definitely an audiophile and I’m as hands-on as possible, and we’ve got a great working relationship, Ludwig and myself. But her nicely slow-moving courtship with Jordan is only the movie’s secondary love affair.
There’s been hundreds of sports movies – and sometimes I watch sports movies and I wish I could relate more than I do. He allowed his vanity to speak louder than his talent.
“Having people in the industry gave this film the authenticity”, says Jordan, who gained 24 pounds of muscle over the course of the shoot. Do you think that by reprising his famous role, Stallone will contend for awards once again?
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If Stallone recognized the young men’s work ethic, Coogler and Jordan were awed by his. Watching Creed for the first time made me forget about all the other crappier Rocky titles in the franchise, but because of these tributes in this film, it reminded me of why I loved it in the first place.
