Together, we fill gaps

I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I am. How can anyone not be? And when I sat down to watch Rocky, I knew I was in for it. It's pretty much the pinnacle of "triumphant."

I watched Rocky the night before I ran my first 5k race of my life. I'm goal oriented, but not a sports person or a fitness nut. So the few months I trained for this race were both the most fulfilling and most awful of my life. I thought it fitting to watch Rocky the night before my first race, to get myself psyched up to be a winner.

I feel like a plot synopsis is unnecessary here (as usual) - he's a boxer who's having a rough go with the whole "life" thing. No money, crappy apartment, a crush on a girl he is too shy to ask out (but everyone seems to think is mentally retarded...which was strange). He wallows in his own self-pity and doesn't seem like he's going to come out of it.

But he does come out of it - he gets the nerve to finally go out with Adrian, he gets a fight with Apollo Creed and even though he knows he can't win, he gives it his all anyway. His goals are realistic - he doesn't necessarily want to win, but he just wants to go all the rounds.

The climax of the movie- the fight - is really exciting. They seem to be a good match for each other- a better match than people expected. Rocky succeeds at his goal of going all the rounds, and even though in the end he doesn't win, he feels like a champion. And Adrian is there waiting for him at the end.

I liked it a lot - even though it dragged at times. I found myself muttering about the fact that Adrian and Rocky were so awkward at first, but they really were a cute couple and a good match for each other once they found a rhythm (and the quote "she's got gaps, I got gaps, together we fill gaps" was more of a poignant explanation of love than maybe it was intended to be). I really did enjoy it overall. It's a triumphant movie for a reason - I felt so pumped at the end and ready to take on the world! It felt like that was the point- like that is what I was supposed to feel.

Oh and the race the next day? My goal was not to win, but to finish. And that's exactly what I did.

Rocky - 4 out of 5 stars.