That Guy That Wrote Clerk’s, And That Guy That Wrote Rocky Had Messages To Tell

I have a confession to make, I have never seen the movie, Rocky. The film was released in 1976 and has become a staple of the ultimate boxing underdog story overcoming everything thrown in his way for a chance to fight the heavyweight champion.  The fact that I live only thirty minutes from the historic steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum where Rocky climbs the steps surrounded by fans cheering him on, does not help my confession.

But then the quarantined happened and everyone was told to stay home. And with nothing but time on my side I decided to finally watch the movie, and I’m glad I did because it was a great film of hope and perseverance. The message of the film is something we could all need in times like these.

While under quarantine I have been watching a lot of Sylvestor Stallone films. Nothing wrong with a little Rambo, Rocky, and The Expendables. Stallone has written and directed many of the films in all three of those franchises.

I have also been watching a lot of Kevin Smith’s films going back to his first one, Clerks. Just like Stallone, Smith has written, starred in, and directed a lot of his films. While these two directors are miles apart in the genres in which they tell their tales there is no denying that they are amazing writers.

Stallone might throw a punch, use a gun, and blow things up, but at the center of his movies, there is a message. And that message is about persistence, heart, and friendship. Stallone is a great writer, and a lot of his dialogue from mostly Rocky will be quoted and repeated for years to come.

Kevin Smith is also a brilliant writer with hopefully a lot more stories to tell. Smith’s main strength is dialogue between characters, Smith has admitted this strength of communication in many interviews. You don’t have to travel back very far to see that a lot of the messages in his films rely heavily on friendship and heart. He did make a little film with his “friends”, back in 1994 and is still doing it.

Stallone and Smith might be miles apart as far as genres come’s and the film’s they make, but the messages are in those films, and having friend’s,heart, and persistence is always a good thing. Especially in times like these.