Rocky has aged, and is now a successful restaurateur who regales diners with boxing stories of yore. This existence works fine until one day the clever CompSci geeks at ESPN produce a computer simulation of him fighting the current heavyweight champion of the world. And guess what? Balboa wins.
Movie Value: $6.50This pisses off the current heavyweight champ (Antonio Tarver), whose "unpopularity" had him bummed to begin with. Seeing a way to make an ass-load of cash, the champ's sleazy promoters ooze off to South Philly and pitch the idea of Balboa fighting the current champ purely as an "exhibition match," that, of course, will be more heavily promoted than a Swift Boat Attack. At first reluctant, Rocky searches his soul and decides that being punched repeatedly in the noggin with bricks is just what his aging body needs. So he says yes.
A fitting tribute to arguably one of the best movies (certainly best boxing movie) of all time, Balboa is surely worth a gander.