I Play Rocky is the Sylvester Stallone victory lap that fans deserve

The story of Sylvester Stallone and the creation of Rocky 50 years ago is something of Hollywood folklore. 

Many fans of Stallone and the character will likely be very familiar with the story of a young, struggling Sly writing the screenplay for the movie that would make him a star and holding firm in negotiations to ensure he would play the lead role. 

It is an underdog story that gave birth to the ultimate underdog story on screen, and its arc of struggle and Oscar triumph (Rocky won best picture at the Academy Awards) felt like a movie in and of itself. 

It would seem Green Book director Peter Farrelly had the same idea, as here we are with I Play Rocky, a dramatised account of Stallone’s journey to bring Rocky Balboa to the screen, and it has a charm and energy that is very fitting for its subject. 

I think it’s worth being upfront, as I do not doubt it had an impact on my feelings about the movie: I love Rocky. 

It is one of my favourite films of all time and is a franchise that has resonated with me for years. Having first discovered it while out of school sick for three months at the age of 11, the Rocky franchise was a balm for me, with its uplifting tales of toil and triumph making it a character and series that I have often returned to.

The film charts Stallone’s struggles to both sell the script for and star in Rocky (Picture:: MGM/Everett/Shutterstock) The movie recreates iconic scenes from the 1976 classic (Picture: Amazon MGM Studios via AP)

The story of its making is one I am very familiar with. But even I, as a Rocky fan, did wonder if there would be enough substance to make a satisfying two-hour drama in and of itself.

There’s no denying that the resulting movie does run on a bit of borrowed valour, particularly in the back half that is largely made up of moments when they’re shooting Rocky, including the details that led to some of Rocky’s most iconic scenes.

They’re fun and playful, if a little cheesy, and clearly well reconstructed. But the only reason these moments of fan service work is because much of the first half of the movie is designed to make this work as a character study, and to ensure the Sylvester Stallone we see here feels like a character and not just a caricature. 

The script is well crafted, with many scenes ending on buttons of charming humour or quiet reflection, but there’s no denying that a lot of why this works is down to Anthony Ippolito in the lead role. 

Much has already been made of how strikingly uncanny Ipploti looks compared to a young Stallone, but he doesn’t simply rely on his likeness to the 70s-era Stallone.

Stallone – on the left – is played by Ippolito – on the right – who strikes an uncanny pose (Picture: Shutterstock) The film channels the spirit of the original Rocky in both expected and surprising ways (Picture: MGM/Everett/Shutterstock)

It is quite wild how similar he does look in several scenes, but he builds a genuine character in his portrayal. It feels natural, not overly studied or performative, and it helps give the story a drive, leaving you rooting for the young struggling actor as he tries to carve himself a space in an industry that looks determined to reject him, much like his parents have done before. 

Ippolito also has wonderful chemistry with a delightful AnnaSophia Robb as Stallone’s first wife, Sasha, which, much like the movie Rocky has with Adrian, gives an emotional undercurrent to the film that makes this more than just a movie about the making of a best picture winner.

It only starts swinging those more fan-servicing punches once it has established that the film works without them, ensuring they feel earned and aren’t deployed as cheap shots to simply curry favour with an audience familiar with Rocky.

AnnaSophia Robb co-stars as Sly’s first wife, Sasha (Picture: MGM/Everett/Shutterstock) I Play Rocky is a crowd-pleasing triumph in its own right (Picture: Amazon MGM Studios via AP)

The recreation of many iconic moments is impressively accurate, with a painstaking attention to detail. The result is a rousing, crowd-pleasing victory lap that delves into Hollywood history with plenty of period-detail quirks and light jabs at the industry at large (Paramount takes a few hits). 

I Play Rocky makes sure it works as a character drama before it becomes a movie about movie-making, and in doing so it opens up the story beyond just Rocky fans. It stands as a tale many of us can relate to: a story about dreaming big and striving for more than what others have told you you’re worth.

In channelling the underdog spirit of the original classic – with Ippolito’s excellent performance as the lightning rod – it works as a crowd-pleasing triumph in its own right.

I Play Rocky hits cinemas in the UK and US from November 6, 2026.

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