Anyone wish that Mickey was a little less of a jerk to Rocky?

I think we sometimes underestimate why Rocky is not just one of the best movies, but also one of the best screenplays ever written. There's a really a sense of fluidity in the way the scenes are tied together and how characters smoothly and naturally evolve through that chain of events.

The first time we meet Mickey, he's nasty and cruel, he can't stop belittling and diminishing Rocky's merit, and somehow, we can't really put a finger on the reason of his attitudey, maybe he's just an embittered old curmudgeon after all.

The third time, 180°-turn, he literally begs Rocky for taking him as a manager, even if it helps Rocky, it looks like a total opportunistic move. Now that Rocky has a shot at the title, he's not the 'tomato' anymore, that's too easy.

But this is why we shouldn't neglect the second time we meet Mickey, that's Mickey's pivotal moment.

It starts with the grumpy and cruel Mickey from the previous scene ("that's exactly what I just said, you dumb *beep* and it ends with the more caring and fatherly Mickey of the apartment scene. It's all in that [i]"Living/Waste of life" exchange, we discover the roots of Mickey's anger and we realize he actually held Rocky in higher esteem than the other boxers, he's just bitter at him because he ruined all his chances to be a champion. Even Rocky's tone when he says "It's a living" carries a nuanced mix of guilt and admittance.

Mickey thought Rocky deserved the blame because his attitude prevented him from becoming a champion, but now that he can become a champion, blaming time is over, and it's time to help Rocky.

Everything makes sense in the film when you look at the script, there's nothing to add, nothing to remove.

Darth Vader is scary and I  The Godfather

No, its not overdone. Its a great part of the story.

What folks (in this thread) are leaving out of it is Mickey's redemption.

Yes, he starts out more than just cantakerous...he wasn't initially doing it to help Rocky out; he was doing it for his last "shot" through Rocky. He's not exactly a leach; this is professional boxing so man up; he's not Rocky's nanny. But he's not yet Rocky's friend either. They are still using each other.

Then the fight is transformative. That's the point. Rocky proves his self worth. Mickey redeems himself by turning into a manager, not an exploiter. How?

By showing that he didn't want to win, more than he wanted someone to look out for Rocky. "Stay down! Stay down!"

That's all there is, but that's all it takes for Mickey to be redeemed and for Rocky to elevate from sports story to great story.

From that point on, Mickey is Rocky's true friend. It wasn't all about Rocky's self esteem; it was about everyone else around him, too.

Now, this is a signature gun, and that is an optical palm reader.

I've always wondered why Mickey didn't offer to help Rocky sooner, only doing so after Rocky get a shot at the big fight.

Rocky's greatest obstacle was always himself and his own fear of failing, something he is able to overcome in the night before the match. As someone else expressed above in the thread, Rocky has a agrees with embarrassment and regret that being an enforcer is a living, but not much of one. Rising above conformity took some guidance, but mostly, a lot of work to improve his craft, something he perhaps wasn't willing to do until the big chance. He also admits as much after Little Marie insults him, "Who are you to give advice?", or something along those lines.

To me, the contrast between Micky and Rocky's personality, demeanor and motivation is what makes their characters great, and Rocky and endearing story.

Despite becoming his father figure and friend, Micky never lost the grumpy old man demeanor. Notice the way he talks to him at the hotel training facility in Rocky III, of how he says, "Is that it?" when he meets the infant Rocky Jr. He tells Rocky this himself after a sparring session when they discuss joining a circus after Rocky retires.

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You'll Never Walk Alone

It seemed very real. It helped to make Mickey feel like a real person, not just an artificial movie character. Mickey was a fierce dynamo, not a saint. I thought the portrayal was great.

Naw, Rocky sort of deserved the treatment in this film. Mick saw a lot of potential in Rocky and all Rock has done is waste his talent on hurting people for Gazzo. Mick was like a frustrated father at Rocky.

From some of the conversations they had there is a good change he tried when Rocky was younger. Mickey seemed to hate the leg breaking and such Rocky did outside of boxing so he may have held that against Rocky as well. After enough time passed he gave up on Rocky and concentrated on younger boxers he had more hope for. Also as others have said he may have been showing tough love, especially the locker removal, trying to get his attention.

In my humble opinion, I don't believe Mickey was being a jerk to Rocky. It was more of a tough love type of relationship. I noticed people are quick to condemn Mickey's behaviour but not Rocky's. Rocky has done very little to help himself, and it's stated very clearly that Rocky has been going to that gym for 6 years and Rocky hasn't changed at all in those 6 years. What was Mickey to do?

When Mickey chides Rocky loudly and in public, Rocky loudly asks what's Mickey's problem, And Mickey even offers Rocky an out, twice 'You don't wanna know' And Rocky persists. So Mickey let's loose. There's a very obvious look of hurt and sadness when Mickey finally vents, That Rocky had the talent to be a good fighter and has basically squandered it. Even Rocky realises that Mickey's right and all he can respond with is to meekly say 'It's a livin' But Mickey's right, It's a waste of life. And it was time Rocky starts owning up to his faults.

When Rocky gets the title shot, he sees this as something that will finally motivate Rocky to take his boxing seriously. If Mickey thought Rocky didn't stand a chance, he wouldn't have bothered.

Coming in late here, but yes, Mickey should have capitulated at least a little in Rocky's apartment when, after he tells Rocky that Rocky can be a champ, Rocky answers (in words to the effect), "Yeah, I could be a champ, but I can't have a locker." Mickey kind of grunts a half-hearted acknowledgement, but doesn't say what he really should say and tell Rocky what Rocky needs to hear.

Sure, he was dumping on Rocky in the beginning because he was pissed that Rocky was always under-achieving. BUT Mickey never really took Rocky aside and pumped him up about his real potential - he only treated him with contempt. It wasn't until Mickey showed up at Rocky's apartment that he finally gave Rocky the speech he should have given years and years earlier.

So...yeah, Mickey should have put his personal disappointment in Rocky's sub-standard performance aside and used "tough love" to encourage the young fighter, instead of waiting for so long, all the while treating Rocky like a second-class citizen. Some posters think that Mickey WAS using tough love on Rocky but I don't buy it. It takes two people in cooperation for tough love to work. Rocky sensed no love from Mickey - only criticism. And not the kind of criticism that goads to better performance, but the kind that only puts-down, insults, and gives your locker away to a "better" trainee. No love there. No matter what "love" Mickey may have been feeling internally, it was useless unless expressed in external action, and Mickey utterly failed in this.