Rocky (1976)

I can definitely see why this is on both the AFI 100 and the IMDB 250. What surprised me about this movie was that it wasn't mindless action/boxing/training montages--it has tons of heart. Rocky is an awesome character. Though he is heavy handed (no pun intended) in his attempts to do anything in his life, the message was always clear; he always has the best of intentions, even when the execution isn't optimal. He just isn't all that smart. All body, no brains. His balance, of course, is Adrian (as she puts it, no body, all brains). He eloquently says that she fills holes: "I have holes. She has holes. We fill them." Or something like that. In essence, they are opposites, and their love for each other essentially helps them become complete. Rocky felt more like a personal growth and love story than a boxing movie. Boxing was just the background--it could have been about anything. I gained so much respect for Sylvester Stallone after this movie; he not only portrayed the character perfectly, but he created a beautiful story and told it in a meaningful way.