Rocky V

1990

Directed by John G. Avildsen

Welcome back to Movie Monday, folks! We’re continuing our journey through my personal hall of shame – the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Today, we’re stepping into the ring with entry #59: Rocky V.

Before you start warming up your “how dare you” comments, let me clarify something – I absolutely LOVE the Rocky franchise. From the Oscar-winning original to the bombastic patriotism of Rocky IV to the surprisingly moving legacy sequel Rocky Balboa and the excellent Creed films, this series has delivered some of cinema’s most inspiring moments. But even the greatest champions have an off day, and Rocky V is the Italian Stallion’s knockout loss.

Remember, this list is based solely on my opinion. Something I hate might be something you cherish. That’s the beauty of film – it’s subjective. But I’m about to make a pretty objective case for why this 1990 misfire deserves its spot on my worst-of list.

The Setup: From Russia With Concussions

Rocky V picks up immediately after the events of Rocky IV, with our hero returning home after defeating the seemingly indestructible Ivan Drago in Moscow. Despite the triumph, all is not well with the Balboa clan. Rocky is experiencing neurological issues from the beating he took in the ring, and when he returns to America, he discovers that his brother-in-law Paulie (unknowingly) signed over power of attorney to their accountant, who proceeded to lose all of Rocky’s money through bad investments and tax neglect.

Just like that, the Balboas are broke. Their mansion and possessions are sold off to pay debts, and the family moves back to the old Philadelphia neighborhood where Rocky’s journey began. It’s a classic “back to your roots” setup that could have worked beautifully as a meditation on what truly matters in life.

Instead, we get… well, we’ll get to that.

The Problem: Rocky Doesn’t Rock

The most egregious sin of Rocky V is that it’s a Rocky movie where Rocky barely boxes. Instead, director John G. Avildsen (returning to the franchise after directing the original) and Sylvester Stallone (who wrote the screenplay) shift the focus to Rocky becoming a trainer for a promising young fighter named Tommy Gunn (played by real-life boxer Tommy Morrison).

Now, the idea of Rocky transitioning to a trainer role isn’t inherently bad. In fact, the Creed films would later execute this concept brilliantly. But here, it’s handled with all the grace of a boxer with both hands tied behind his back.

As Rocky gets caught up in Tommy’s rise through the heavyweight ranks, he neglects his teenage son Robert (played by Stallone’s real-life son Sage). The film tries to create parallel storylines between Tommy’s development as a fighter and Robert’s struggles at school, but neither narrative thread gets the development it deserves.

The Money Problem

Let’s talk about that financial ruin subplot. The movie establishes that Rocky loses his fortune due to his accountant’s mismanagement and fraud. And then… nothing happens. The accountant apparently faces zero consequences. The Balboas just accept their financial doom and move on.

This plot device feels like a lazy way to reset Rocky to his humble beginnings without any real narrative payoff. It would be like if Batman suddenly lost all his money and the Batcave and just went, “Oh well, guess I’ll be a regular vigilante now.” Actually, that did happen in a Batman movie once, but it at least had narrative purpose!

The financial ruin is especially frustrating because the previous films established Rocky as someone who was careful with his earnings and intelligent enough (despite his simple manner of speaking) to make smart career decisions. To suddenly have him fall victim to such a blatant swindle feels out of character.

Tommy “The Machine” Gunn: The Villain We Didn’t Need

Tommy Gunn is introduced as a hungry young fighter from Oklahoma seeking Rocky’s guidance. Morrison, a professional boxer with limited acting experience, does his best with the material, but the character is thinly written and follows an all-too-predictable arc.

Inevitably, Tommy is seduced away from Rocky’s tutelage by the slick, Don King-esque promoter George Washington Duke (Richard Gant). He wins the heavyweight championship but finds that fans don’t respect him because he didn’t beat Rocky to get the title. Frustrated by this lack of respect, Tommy eventually challenges Rocky to a street fight, leading to the film’s climactic brawl.

The whole storyline feels like a rehash of better mentor/mentee betrayal stories we’ve seen in countless films. It lacks the emotional weight that made earlier Rocky adversaries like Apollo Creed and Clubber Lang so memorable. Tommy isn’t a villain we love to hate; he’s a villain we’re mostly indifferent toward.

The Family Drama: Good Intentions, Poor Execution

At its heart, the Rocky series has always been about family as much as boxing. The relationship between Rocky and Adrian (Talia Shire) remains one of cinema’s most genuine romances. Rocky V attempts to build on this foundation by exploring Rocky’s relationship with his son, but the execution is clumsy.

The film tries to draw parallels between how Mickey (Burgess Meredith) trained Rocky and how Rocky trains both Tommy and, eventually, his son. There are even ghostly visions of Mickey appearing to Rocky at crucial moments, which feel more cheesy than poignant.

The emotional beats between Rocky and Robert never quite land with the impact they should. Their conflict and eventual reconciliation feel rushed and undercooked, which is a shame because there was potential for a moving father-son story here.

The Street Fight Finale: Trading the Ring for the Alley

After spending most of the movie NOT boxing in a traditional match, Rocky V culminates in a street fight between Rocky and Tommy. It’s a brutal, no-holds-barred brawl that takes place in an alley outside a bar, complete with a crowd of onlookers and conveniently placed television cameras.

The street fight itself isn’t terribly choreographed – it has some visceral moments that harken back to Rocky’s street-fighting roots. But after four movies of carefully constructed boxing matches with their own rhythm and emotional stakes, watching Rocky duke it out in a back alley feels like a major downgrade. It’s like watching a symphony orchestra perform in a dive bar – the musicians might still be talented, but the venue diminishes the art.

And then there’s the bizarre sequence where Rocky, getting pummeled by Tommy, has hallucinations of Ivan Drago before a vision of Mickey gives him the motivation to get up and fight back. It’s a moment that should be moving but instead comes across as unintentionally comical.

The What-Ifs: The Death of Rocky Balboa?

Interestingly, the original script for Rocky V had a much darker ending. Stallone initially planned to have Rocky die at the end of the street fight with Tommy, passing away in Adrian’s arms. The film would have concluded with Adrian delivering a eulogy about how “as long as there are people willing to meet challenges of life and not surrender until their dreams become realities, the world will always have their Rockys.”

Producer Irwin Winkler and director Avildsen weren’t fans of this ending, and Stallone was eventually convinced to change it. In retrospect, killing off Rocky would have been a bold move that might have given the film more emotional weight – though it would have precluded the later, much better Rocky Balboa and the Creed films.

The Continuity Conundrum

Rocky V also suffers from some glaring continuity issues. The most obvious is Robert’s age – in Rocky IV, set in 1985, he’s clearly portrayed as a 9-year-old. Yet in Rocky V, which takes place immediately afterward, he’s suddenly 14. Either the Balboas have discovered time travel, or someone wasn’t paying attention during script development.

There’s also the matter of Rocky’s brain injury, which the film portrays as a career-ending, potentially fatal condition. Stallone later acknowledged this was medically inaccurate – the injury would have been more akin to a long-term concussion that wouldn’t necessarily have ended Rocky’s career. This was conveniently retconned in Rocky Balboa, allowing the Italian Stallion to fight again.

The Box Office Blow

Rocky V was expected to be one of the big hits of the 1990 holiday season but ended up being KO’d at the box office by… Home Alone. While it still managed to earn $160 million worldwide, this was a significant drop from Rocky IV‘s $300 million. Critics weren’t kind either – the film currently holds a mere 32% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Even Stallone himself has disavowed the film, famously giving it a 0 out of 10 rating. When the creator of a beloved character thinks the film is that bad, you know something went seriously wrong.

The Rocky Franchise Timeline: Where Does Rocky V Fit?

Despite its shortcomings, Rocky V is still an official part of the Rocky/Creed universe. Here’s how it fits into the overall timeline:

• Rocky (1976): The original classic where underdog Rocky Balboa gets a shot at the heavyweight title against Apollo Creed.
• Rocky II (1979): Rocky gets a rematch with Apollo and wins the championship.
• Rocky III (1982): After losing his title to Clubber Lang, Rocky trains with Apollo to reclaim it.
• Rocky IV (1985): Rocky fights Soviet boxer Ivan Drago, who killed Apollo in the ring.
• Rocky V (1990): Immediately following the Drago fight, Rocky retires due to injuries and becomes a trainer.
• Rocky Balboa (2006): Sixteen years later, a widowed Rocky returns to the ring for an exhibition match.
• Creed (2015): Rocky trains Apollo’s son, Adonis Creed, while battling cancer.
• Creed II (2018): Rocky helps Adonis face Viktor Drago, son of Ivan.
• Creed III (2023): Rocky is absent as Adonis faces his past alone.

The 16-year gap between Rocky V and Rocky Balboa is telling – it took that long for Stallone to feel ready to redeem his most iconic character after the misstep of the fifth installment.

The Verdict: A Technical Knockout Loss

Rocky V isn’t unwatchable. It has moments of the heart and charm that made the franchise beloved. The performances from the core cast – Stallone, Shire, and Burt Young as Paulie – are solid as always. There’s even a certain nostalgic charm in seeing Rocky return to his old neighborhood.

But compared to the heights of the other Rocky films, it’s undeniably the runt of the litter. The plot is contrived, the new characters are forgettable, and the emotional beats miss more often than they land.

The film tries to be a more grounded, character-driven story like the original Rocky, but it lacks the authentic grit and understated power that made the first film a masterpiece. It also lacks the crowd-pleasing spectacle of the more bombastic sequels. It’s caught in a no-man’s-land between dramatic character study and inspirational sports movie, failing to fully succeed as either.

Yet, weirdly enough, I still watch it during Rocky marathons. Because even at its worst, there’s something about Rocky Balboa that keeps pulling me back in. That’s the power of this character and this franchise – even its lowest point can’t completely break the spell that Stallone created with his enduring underdog.

Rocky V may have landed at #59 on my worst movies list, but the Rocky franchise as a whole remains one of cinema’s greatest champions. And like Rocky himself, it would get back up after this knockdown and go on to fight another day – eventually giving us the excellent Rocky Balboa and the Creed series that restored glory to the Italian Stallion’s legacy.

So here’s to you, Rocky V – the proof that even the greatest franchises can stumble, but true champions always find a way to come back stronger.

What do you think? Is Rocky V unfairly maligned, or does it deserve its reputation as the series’ low point? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll see you next Monday for another entry in my worst movies countdown!