Before Rocky Balboa ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a broke actor had to talk his way into the room. He had a partially paralyzed face, a speech impediment, and a screenplay everybody wanted, but nobody wanted him in it. So he bet on himself.
That bet is at the center of “I Play Rocky,” Peter Farrelly’s biographical drama about the making of the 1976 Best Picture winner. The title is the whole thesis. It consists of three words, serving as both a demand and a definitive boundary. Hollywood wanted to buy the story without the man who wrote it. Sylvester Stallone kept turning down the money until Hollywood understood that the script and the man who wrote it were inseparable.
Farrelly, working from a screenplay by Peter Gamble, knows exactly what kind of movie he’s making. This film is an underdog story about an underdog story, and it doesn’t pretend otherwise. When Bill Conti’s theme finally swells, the film has earned that rush. The movie is about building that feeling 50 years ago, and Farrelly lets it carry him home.
Anthony Ippolito could have stopped at a wonderful impression. He has the slur, the slouch, and the heavy-lidded charm down. What makes the performance effective is what lies beneath it: a man who has been told no so frequently that one additional no cannot intimidate him. Ippolito plays Stallone’s stubbornness as both his superpower and his tell. You can see what it costs him, and you can see he would pay it again.
AnnaSophia Robb grounds the first half as Sasha Czack, Stallone’s first wife. She’s the person living inside the bet, paying the bills while he refuses the checks. That part of the film, with the broke apartment, the early romance, and the arithmetic of chasing a dream, is the strongest stretch of the movie. Matt Dillon brings weight as Frank Stallone Sr., and Jay Duplass is a sharp, witty John Avildsen, the director who both champions Stallone and pushes him.
Stephan James injects energy into the film as Carl Weathers, and his audition scene stands out as one of its most significant moments. The history matters here. Weathers, a former NFL player, helped create Apollo Creed, a flamboyant champion who was never simply the villain. Decades later, Creed became the foundation of a Black-led franchise. A Black actor contributed to the development of the character, which in turn became a significant legacy. Weathers died in 2024, and seeing him celebrated on screen in 2026 hits differently.
Once the cameras start rolling on “Rocky,” “I Play Rocky” loses some of its grip. The second half turns episodic, skipping across production obstacles rather than living inside them, and the ending feels rushed. Visually, it’s flat. There’s a made-for-streaming plainness to the frame that a story this big doesn’t deserve. Like every biopic, it bends and simplifies the real timeline, and longtime “Rocky” fans will notice.
Here’s what “I Play Rocky” can’t fully hold. Stallone won the fight to star in his story, but he didn’t win ownership of it. He has spent years publicly saying he never owned a piece of “Rocky,” and he has gone after producer Irwin Winkler over it. Betting on yourself gets you into the ring. It doesn’t promise you get to keep the belt.
That sad note makes the film’s message land harder, not softer. For anyone who has built something from nothing, whether that’s an independent creator, a small business owner, or the person told to wait their turn, the lesson cuts both ways. Bet on yourself. Then please ensure that your name is included on the paperwork.
“I Play Rocky” is a sincere, often very funny crowd-pleaser powered by a star-making lead performance. It works the way “Rocky” works: you know where it’s headed, and you cheer anyway. It doesn’t go the full 15 rounds, but it lands the punches that count.
“I Play Rocky” is directed by Peter Farrelly and is from Amazon MGM Studios. It opens in select theaters Nov. 6 and nationwide Nov. 20. Running time: 2 hours, 7 minutes.
Hit play on our conversation with Peter Farrelly - https://www.cupofsoulshow.com/entertainmentnews/sylvester-stallone-broke-both-hands-rocky-peter-farrelly
