'Creed': The Comfort Food of Film
One of the greatest things about movies is that, contrary to Thomas Wolfe's assertion, you can indeed go home. Joyfully witnessed in director Ryan Coogler's "Creed," essentially a sequel to the "Rocky" legend, whole bunches of lore, heritage and mythology are reembraced for their life-affirming schmaltz.
Lest the flickering candle that burns for all longshots is snuffed out, Sylvester Stallone's patron saint of underdogs returns here to train and nurture his famous rival's son, Adonis Johnson. Of course, he has to be talked into it.
You see, what we didn't learn in any of the six previous "Rocky" films is that Apollo Creed, who gave our working man's hero his first shot at the title, had an extramarital affair that produced Adonis, portrayed by Michael B. Jordan. Oh, he doesn't go by Creed. A troubled, pugnacious kid who we first meet when he is rescued from the youth correctional/welfare system by his dad's wealthy widow, Mary Anne (Phylicia Rashad), he doesn't want anything from anyone ... no siree. That includes any steppingstone his famous father's reputation might extend.
However, to again pretentiously reference a major literary figure, Adonis soon realizes that, as John Donne (1572-1631) affirmed, "No man is an island." After quitting the stocks and bonds world he succeeded in only to please his foster mom, he's able to go just so far in his quest to be a contender in the light heavyweight division. A serious foray into fisticuffs' upper ranks will mean pushing some pride to the side.
It's no mystery where this is going. Expect no real surprises. The film's major charm and what its cineaste detractors will see as warmed-over pabulum is its predictability ... the old horse who instinctively finds his way back to the barn. But in answer to those avant-garde snobs who don't see the therapy of occasionally basking in a bit of soulful reflection, writer-director Coogler does fashion the old in some shiny new wrapping. Transitions and segues offer slight twists, and good characterizations supply engaging motivation.
But what will doubtlessly prove "Creed's" greatest appeal at the box office are the parallel-running tales that attempt to narrow the generation gap. Arriving in Philadelphia where he hopes to convince Rocky to train him, the young man can't help falling for Tessa Thompson's Bianca, an aspiring chanteuse with some baggage of her own. Meanwhile, Rocky, set in his postpugilistic routine, regularly visits wife Adrian's grave and sees to it that his restaurant named in her memory is well stocked for its adoring patrons.
While younger viewers will relate to the trials and tribulations of their good-looking contemporaries seeking to find wealth, love and recognition of their hipness, older folk will be gratified to see that Rocky, alive and kicking, is at long last comfortable in his skin. He makes a good buck at his red sauce destination (the checkered table cloth cliché you've always hoped to find), is highly respected and, despite a healthy bit of melancholia that comes of being human, is pretty happy. Ambition now finds its expression in imparting wisdom. The kid could sure use it.
With its love story interspersing the prizefighting saga and Rocky reprising his "yuh gotta believe" dance, the traditionally told tale is the comfort food of movies. But for single-minded boxing fans who couldn't care less about the poetic background of their sport, "Creed" vicariously supplies the import and drama gone of late from the questionable pastime. Replete with a threateningly dangerous antagonist in the person of light heavyweight champion, "Pretty" Ricky Conlan (played by British fighter Tony Bellew), the blood and gore are assured.
Boasting ring choreography and corner theatrics as realistic as can be expected, even those on the fence when it comes to violence in sports are bound to get caught up in the fray, oohing and aahing with each thrust and parry. If you thought you left that primordial killer instinct back in the muck, these sequences remind that our humanness is a work in progress.
This ties in with the recurring, compound quandary: Why must Adonis fight? Yes, he's educated; Mary Anne saw to that. But those group homes took their toll. Plus, remember, he's the champ's son ... all of which sets the stage for that most intriguing fight of all: environment vs. DNA. To these ends, philosophical and physical, the well-chiseled Michael B. Jordan successfully meets the challenge.
Still, it's mostly Rocky we've come to see ... our old friend ... same hat, same jacket, same intonations, living modestly in the City of Brotherly Love, a little older and a bit wiser. But, I've kept something from you. Fact is, there's yet another test for the former champ. Being loyal fans, we are in his corner, confident that it's in our favorite mug's "Creed" to once again answer the bell.
"Creed," rated PG-13, is a Warner Bros. release directed by Ryan Coogler and stars Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson. Running time: 133 minutes
