I Play Rocky is less a full-on biopic, and more an attempt to capture a brilliant moment in time replete with the struggles that shaped it. As such, it exists in a cinematic Venn diagram between the likes of Steve Jobs (2015) and Saturday Night (2024). Both have a mission to make you feel like you’re a fly on the wall and show you how the sausage was made. It’s a slow-build period piece and an honest account of how Rocky became way more than the sum of its parts. Moreover, it is effective in showing us that magic exists before you know you have it.
The famous tagline from Rocky is “His whole life was a million-to-one shot“. From car parking underdog to superstar, the film goes from ordinary to extraordinary in similar fashion. It’s also not a boxing movie, it just happens to have boxing in it, and it can still bring you to your feet.
I hate to put myself in the review, but Rocky is a franchise and character that means the world to me. Having that familiarity means you can spot a phony or someone who’s just not up to the task, especially when something is meant to be as earnest and reverent as possible. On that note, it seems a bit odd that Peter Farrelly would be taking the helm for such an endeavor. That said, if you really look past the absurd jokes and gross-out elements of the films the Farrelly Brothers are known for (Kingpin, Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary), there is honesty, tons of heart, meaningful relationships and a story that really matters.
Given that we are half a century past the events of the film, we have the luxury of knowing the outcome of The Italian Stallion. We know the results of all the chances taken, all the sides of beef punched, and the constant questioning: “what are we doing?” and “do you really believe in this?” But this film does a fair job reminding us that creative pursuits don’t have a road map, a guarantee or a safety net. Farrelly and team treat the story like a speed bag: slowly throwing their fists until they gain confidence to switch it up and find a rhythm. Their lefts and rights make for a combination of reverence and hilarity. The result is tasteful raucousness about someone who wears their heart on their sleeve. You don’t have to wait til the final round to know that this will deliver the goods.
There will probably be books written about how Anthony Ippolito is able to channel Sly (chief among them his unmistakable sniffle and drawl), and in 92% of the scenes is indistinguishable from Stallone himself. He’s magnetic and there are times you don’t even have to squint to show how perfectly he captures and replicates key performances from the Oscar-winning picture. It’s scary good. And that goes double for sets and scene recreations (see below). In fact, it’s so good even Sly himself was fooled. Allegedly.
Many factors standout to make the production shine and it’s really great that I Play Rocky gives credit to people like Garrett Brown (for his invaluable use of the Steadicam he created) and Bill Conti (for the immortal theme that makes us all believe we’re gonna fly just by listening to it). The film succeeds because you do care for these characters…well, real people to be accurate…and one thing is for sure: you’re likely going to want a John G. Avilsden movie. Golf claps and high fives to Jay Duplass. For reasons that could only be chalked up to pacing, we don’t get a lot of time with Carl Weathers (Stephan James) and even less with Talia Shire (Kiki Seto). Perhaps that’s for the best as it lets Chartoff/Winkler/Avilsden/Stallone carry the weight just like they did in real life.
Whether intentional or not, the whole film has a thinness. Numerous early scenes, as great as they are, lack cohesion and momentum. That feeling persists until the last third when it seamlessly morphs from disparate set pieces of Ippolito sharing scenes with AnnaSophia Robb’s no-nonsense NYC accent and Matt Dillon’s prosthetic nose. But we’re not here for them, we’re here for Rocky.
Things certainly resemble a Lifetime movie, but as soon as the clock starts ticking for Robert Chartoff, Irwin Winkler and crew to make the film, something happens. The pieces start to resemble an image, the vision becomes less foggy to everyone putting their faith in Stallone, the jokes are funnier and there’s light at the end of the tunnel. You can liken this to Rocky’s first time ascending the steps outside the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the last time before his fight with Apollo.
Stallone faced opposition, and struggled as an unknown actor/writer. Herein, we join him for a portion of that journey. Farrelly’s picture has trouble getting into gear, and like the people who doubted young Sly, you might not care about I Play Rocky…at first. However, it’s Farrelly’s job to win you over (just like Sly had done). Once they start making the film…in the film…it becomes easy to cheer for the small bits of momentum along the way. That’s when everything coalesces to make magic. As it is said in the film, “everything you had, you put on that screen.” This whole production a tapestry of rejections, aspirations, bumps, bruises, perseverance and triumphs that took Rocky Balboa from the streets of Philly to the stage at the Academy Awards.
G-S-T RULING:
Is I Play Rocky a great film? Not quite. Is it a great story? Absolutely! There’s a big difference and it’s ok. This makes you feel like you are right there along with an unassuming party of players whose passion and can-do attitude is infectious. There are real tender scenes to show one man’s conviction, and the value of friendship/partnership speaks louder than anything else in the retelling. There’s humor, heart, and if you don’t shed a tear at Sly, Robert and Irwin’s hug, you are likely in the wrong movie. I guess that’s the uproarious Farrelly brand making a welcomed comeback. This time, it’s with raw eggs instead of “hair gel“, and this story goes the distance.
