I’m just as surprised as you that I loved I PLAY ROCKY. To be completely honest, this was one of the movies I was least excited about seeing at TIFF and almost went to see something else instead. I wasn’t particularly captivated by the trailer, and the big looming questions in my mind were, “Why did this movie get made? And do we really care about how ROCKY came to fruition?” Well, joke’s on me because it turns out you *should* care about why this movie was made because it is one of the best Hollywood underdog stories of all time and makes for a rousing, inspiring crowd-pleaser.
Set in the 1970s, I PLAY ROCKY tells the true story of how the down-on-his-luck actor/writer Sylvester Stallone (Anthony Ippolito) took the ROCKY script, which he wrote in 3 1/2 days, to Oscar and box-office greatness. The film shows all of the sacrifices Stallone went through to finally accomplish his dreams. When we first meet Stallone, he is homeless on the streets of New York with his dog Butkis, whom he found in a pile of garbage. He works odd jobs around his audition schedules, but can’t seem to make ends meet. When he meets Sasha (AnnaSophia Robb), he finally gets the support he needs and the two move to Los Angeles in the hopes that it will bring more success.
But after multiple scripts and no offers to show for it, Stallone starts to worry he won’t be able to continue to afford this lifestyle. That is, until he has an epiphany for a new script idea while watching a boxing match at a local bar. A patron of the hotel he works for arranges a meeting between Stallone and film producers, and when they read the script for ROCKY they are hooked. But there’s a catch—Stallone wants to act in the film, but the studio refuses to support a no-name actor as the lead. They try to buy the rights for the script, escalating the offers more and more in the hopes Stallone will back down. You probably already know the rest, but what happens next is a story of believing in your own talent and writing your own legacy.
I can’t say enough about how great Anthony Ippolito is as Sylvester Stallone. I was initially worried that the acting was going to be gimmicky, over-the-top caricature. But Ippolito completely disappears into the role, his performance more like an otherworldly possession than an impersonation. He fully becomes Stallone, not only in the obvious vocal and physical similarities, but in the physicality of the role and the way he carries himself. It’s not every day you see a star-making performance, but Ippolito is one to watch, not only in this year’s Awards conversations but for many years to come. It’s also pretty meta that Ippolito’s story is similar to that of Stallone, a struggling actor looking for a big break, who takes a risk and sends in an audition tape and gets the opportunity of a lifetime. There’s something really beautiful and cinematic about that.
I PLAY ROCKY received one of the best audience receptions I have ever seen in any movie theater, period. At multiple points during the film, the audience cheered spontaneously like we were watching a live show. Admittedly, especially in the beginning there are some cheesy moments that made me worried about how the movie was going to go. But it quickly settles into itself and the “bet on yourself” narrative reinforces its authenticity. Farrelly’s decision to start the movie with Ippolito, as Stallone, working on his elocution was a bold choice that serves to catapult you into the performance so you aren’t surprised by what is to come. You immediately have empathy for Stallone and the actor playing him, seeing the real man behind the voice.
I PLAY ROCKY is a film for everyone, especially those of us who love cinema. It is a heartfelt homage to the creative process and a shining example of what you can do when you believe in your own talent and have a support system around you. The film also highlights some of the innovations the filmmakers brought to the filmmaking process (including Steadicams) that enabled ROCKY to get made on time and within budget. There’s a line in the film where Sasha says she’d “rather be an optimist and be wrong than a pessimist and be right.” That is the mindset I should have taken when I was going into seeing this film, because any pessimist who thinks this is anything less than one of the best films of the year will be wrong.
My Review: A
