24. Rocky Balboa
Rocky
There's a reason Sylvester Stallone has been doing all the things he's done for the past 30 or so years. This is it. Not only the star, Stallone also wrote (if you can believe it) the classic underdog's tale to try and become a someone.
A warm-hearted, not-especially-bright Philly native, Rocky makes money serving as a loan collector and boxing on the side. When famed boxer Apollo Creed challenges him to a fight (from an idea of his after his opponent couldn't fight), Rocky gets a chance to the go the distance against Creed, something no one has ever done before. He doesn't want to win, he just wants to survive against the funky prizefighter.
Earning confidence while training with cranky former fighter Mickey Goldmill, Rocky is finally able to ask out Adrian, the plain and shy sister of his best friend Paulie. The two hit it off very quickly and Adrian soon feels the same way Rocky feels for her.
Naive and utterly optimistic, Rocky is the portrait of the ultimate underdog. This includes real life, since Rocky actually WON Best Picture against films like Taxi Driver and Network.
Defining moment: The fight against Apollo Creed. As the two fighters get increasingly injured, Rocky refuses to back down. It all culminates with Creed's victory against the Italian Stallion and Rocky's victory to not be just another schnook, finally calling out those two infamous words: "Yo, Adrian!"
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