Rocky (1976 film)

It’s the story of a sociable heavy that lucks his way into a high-stakes boxing match he loses, the typical sort of film that ends up preserved in the Library of Congress, where’s that blasted sarcasm font? The film is famous for its last half-hour, but it would have no power without the beginning ninety minutes, letting us get to know and enjoy the company of this screw-up, wonderfully brought to life by arguably the most underrated big-name box office draw of the past fifty years. The actual boxing is hysterically stupid, but the rest of the film is fantastic.

9