I Play Rocky

I Play Rocky, directed by Peter Farrelly and written by Peter Gamble, recounts one of cinema's great underdog stories. In the 1970s, an unknown actor with only $106 to his name refused to sell his script about a down-on-his-luck southpaw fighter to producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff, unless he could star in the film. The actor was Sylvester Stallone, who now has a studio stage named after him; the film was the Oscar winner, Rocky. The character, who lives a rags-to-riches story, has become one of cinema’s most beloved, and Stallone’s guts to call his shot mimics the dogged spirit of the character he is most famous for playing.

The biographical drama about the behind-the-scenes making of the classic boxing film begins with Stallone, going by the name "Mike", auditioning for the part of "Thug number two". From off-screen the casting person feeds him alternative lines to try. It becomes clear from the sniggering that they find his slurred speech amusing. Stallone immediately becomes a sympathetic character. We want to see these naysayers, who beat down on him for daring to chase a dream, be proven wrong.

Gamble’s screenplay gives a nod to Stallone’s starring role in the 1970 softcore skin flick, The Party At Kitty And Stud’s, and his turning down an offer to do hardcore roles. Part of a broader setup, we see Stallone scraping by, finding a way to pay his rent by selling what few belongings he has – a collection of books and an electronic appliance. There’s even a scene in a small convenience store, plucked from real-life, where Stallone sells his beloved dog Butkus. Having given up his one job to attend a fruitless audition, he next lands a job as a cinema usher, where he meets his first wife, Sasha Czak (AnnaSophia Robb), who encourages him to write his own material.

The early scenes are filled with an urgency and desperation, showing the human side of Stallone’s journey from unknown actor to movie star. This is important because what has made Rocky a beloved character is his relatability. Stallone drew on his own lived experience as a struggling actor to give Rocky a human authenticity that has since matured into the wise older man in Rocky Balboa. A rich character, he represents reaching for a dream, even if it might appear unobtainable, and dealing with life’s setbacks head-on. After all, perseverance is a unifying theme of the Rocky films. As the character tells his son in Rocky Balboa: “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are; it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward.” This is something all of us can relate to, and it frames Balboa as a modern-day hero.

The stakes of I Play Rocky’s story are whether Stallone can hold onto the film or whether it’ll be ripped away from him by bigger and more powerful industry forces. Beyond this narrative arc, the story is driven by the relationship between Stallone and Sasha, and her unwavering belief. It is an emotional heartbeat, which draws parallels with Rocky and Adrian’s (Talia Shire) beauty and the beast-like relationship in Rocky. Farrelly and Gamble understand the importance of a good love story, which is the glue that holds the film together, but it’s also anchored by Anthony Ippolito’s performance – he not only bears a striking resemblance to Stallone, but his physical and verbal mimicry is uncanny.

I Play Rocky has plenty of comedic zest that’s not hinted at in the trailer. While it whipped up a crowd-pleasing reaction at the London Film Festival, where it played as this year’s surprise film, director Farrelly risks leaning into the comedy too much. Instead of continuing to build on Green Book’s dramatic tones and stepping forward into less outrageously funny fare, I Play Rocky suggests that Farrelly cannot shake off his comedic roots so easily. And while neither the original nor the character was humourless, the laugh out loud humour in I Play Rocky is more suited to Farrelly’s earlier work than honouring the spirit of Rocky’s grounded and sometimes sweet and tender humour.

When the montage scene eventually rolls around, clips from Rocky and the unmistakable sound of composer Bill Conti’s score rouses one’s soul. In the moment, it’s tempting to impulsively reach for the sentiment that I Play Rocky makes you fall in love with the film and character again. And the crowd-pleasing experience is infectious enough to lull us into feeling that way. In the cold light of day, however, I Play Rocky doesn’t have the power to stir such strong emotions. Instead, Rocky alongside Conti’s score have a timeless way of pulling on our heartstrings, reminding us of just how beloved the story and character is.

Reviewed on: 19 Oct 2026