Editing Rocky (section)

===Critical response===
''Rocky'' received positive reviews at the time of its release. [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave it 4 out of 4 stars and said that Stallone reminded him of "the young [[Marlon Brando]]."<ref>{{cite news | date=January 1, 1977 <!-- although the online version says 1976, it was actually 1977 --> | title=Rocky Movie Review & Film Summary | first=Roger | last=Ebert | author-link=Roger Ebert | url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rocky-1976 | access-date=October 9, 2017 | newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | via=RogerEbert.com | archive-date=October 18, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018173317/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rocky-1976 | url-status=live }}</ref> ''Box Office Magazine'' claimed audiences would be "touting Sylvester 'Sly' Stallone as a new star".<ref>{{cite web|date=1976-11-22 |title=Box Office Magazine Rocky Review |url=http://www.boxoffice.com/scripts/fiw.dll?GetReview?&where=ID&terms=4828 |access-date=September 23, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123101307/http://www.boxoffice.com/scripts/fiw.dll?GetReview%3F&where=ID&terms=4828 |archive-date=November 23, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Arizona Daily Star Review | url= http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=107744&section=pressQuote | access-date= November 14, 2006 | archive-date= May 28, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070528083917/http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=107744&section=pressQuote | url-status= live }}</ref> [[Frank Rich]] liked the film, calling it "almost 100 per cent [[schmaltz]]", but favoring it over the cynicism that was prevalent in movies at that time, although he referred to the plot as "gimmicky" and the script "heavy-handed".<ref>Frank Rich. ''[[New York Post]]'' November 22, 1976.  p. 18</ref> Several reviews, including [[Richard Eder]]'s (as well as Canby's negative review), compared the work to that of [[Frank Capra]].

The film did not escape criticism. [[Vincent Canby]], of ''[[The New York Times]]'', called it "pure '30s make believe" and dismissed both Stallone's acting and Avildsen's directing, calling the latter "none too decisive".<ref>{{cite news|date = November 22, 1976|access-date = September 23, 2006|url = http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/rocky-re.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060929211511/http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/rocky-re.html|archive-date = September 29, 2006|title = Film: 'Rocky,' Pure 30's Make-Believe|work = The New York Times|first = Vincent|last = Canby|author-link = Vincent Canby|url-status = live}}</ref> [[Andrew Sarris]] found the Capra comparisons disingenuous: "Capra's movies projected more despair deep down than a movie like ''Rocky'' could envisage, and most previous ring movies have been much more cynical about the fight scene"; commenting on Rocky's work for a loan shark, Sarris says the film "teeters on the edge of sentimentalizing gangsters". He found Meredith "oddly cast in the kind of part the late [[James Gleason]] used to pick his teeth".<ref>''[[The Village Voice]]'' November 22, 1976, p.61</ref>

The film enjoys a reputation as a classic and still receives nearly universal praise. On the [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds a 93% approval rating based on 75 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critics consensus states: "This story of a down-on-his-luck boxer is thoroughly predictable, but Sylvester Stallone's script and stunning performance in the title role brush aside complaints."<ref>{{cite web|title=Rocky|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1017776-rocky/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228201751/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1017776-rocky|archive-date=February 28, 2021|access-date=April 10, 2022|website=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> {{Metacritic film prose |score=70|count=14}}<ref>{{cite web |title= Rocky Reviews |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/rocky |work= [[Metacritic]] |access-date=March 1, 2023}}</ref>