I need to go on a fucking tedtalk because I am fed up with hearing assholes call Rocky and Adrian's first date creepy.
Okay, assholes is a bit harsh, but still. Look, I can understand how some could take the scene out of context, I really could.
But with the context of the story and what we know about the characters up to that point, it works.
No one is comfortable on a first date, let's be real. And Rocky and Adrian are awkward and lonely, so its especially uncomfortable. But Rocky keeps respecting Adrian's boundaries, letting her warm up to him.
He even says he doesn't have to kiss him back if she doesn't want to! He goes slowly, giving her time to say no or dodge him or whatever. But she doesn't, she reciprocates.
Rocky is the right amount of assertive one would need to be in order to date someone as shy as Adrian. And let's be real, with how shy she is, all of her first romantic encounters were going to be awkward and maybe even a bit pushy. But the one thing Adrian is never shy about is her blunt honesty and refusal to do certain things. Even in the first movie, she speaks her mind and admits when she doesn't like something, albeit in a mousy way.
She even rolls her eyes at Rocky twice in his apartment. Like, I'm sorry, but that is not a girl who is uncomfortable and scared of a man, that is a shy girl who is annoyed the man she likes won't let her isolate herself.
Three more things. I seriously doubt anyone would have a problem with the scene if it was gender bent. Sly, in general, is really good at writing female characters and is pretty respectful about it (not even for that time period, just any time period). And lastly, I've come to realize that Adrian is just the female version of a brooding male love interest and Rocky is the male version of a manic pixie dream girl.
I could go more in depth of why I love the romance in this movie, Stallone's portrayal of women in general, or why I think Adrian is a beautifully written female character, but I'll save that for another day.
Thank you for coming to my tedtalk
