In response to Rick Gregory's letter, ""Film's rating is misleading" (Readers' forum, Jan 2, 2007), about the new movie, "Rocky Balboa," I will readily acknowledge that there is some "violence, profanity, vulgarity, brief gore, racial epithets, [and] brief drugs"--it is, after all, a boxing movie.  However, this movie was not just rated PG because there was "no sex." 

I saw this movie on New Year's Day, and was very impressed. This film was not like the comic book-esk "Rocky IV," with graphic boxing violence, little story-line, and even less dialog, chronicling Rocky's unlikely defeat of his giant Russian opponent. This movie did not glorify the fighting like other later installments in the Rocky saga. 

Rather, this was more like the academy-award-winning best picture, "Rocky," with touching story-lines, dramatic family dynamics, and a look at Rocky's inner battle and pursuit for being true to himself and regaining his own self-respect. It didn't deserve anything higher than a PG rating and I think it had less "violence, profanity, vulgarity, brief gore, racial epithets, [and] brief drugs" than most of the shows on prime time TV.

Though I encourage and respect others for taking a stand on the types of media they choose to subject themselves to, this film does not warrant the statements made by Mr. Gregory, and though I had my doubts going into the movie, I would recommend this film to all adults, and most teenagers.