'I Play Rocky' review: Anthony Ippolito delivers a knockout performance

If you asked 100 people to name a boxer, how many would name Rocky Balboa? That’s the power and legacy of this character, played by Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. The film has spawned five sequels and a reboot trilogy starring Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, with a spinoff TV series titled Delphi on the way, focused on young boxers at the Delphi gym from the Creed trilogy. But none of this would be possible without Rocky‘s success.

I Play Rocky, directed by Peter Farrelly and written by Peter Gamble, casts Anthony Ippolito as Stallone to tell the underdog journey of getting Rocky made. As a Rocky fan, this biopic made me appreciate the original film, since the true story mirrors Rocky’s path to becoming a boxer who goes the distance against the heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Although I Play Rocky fast-forwards through interesting parts in Stallone’s life and features many recreations of the original film, it hits all the emotional beats and will make you want to run up the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and cheer to the world.

Ippolito and Robb deliver heartwarming performances. Image Credit: Amazon MGM Studios.

Before Stallone became the star he is today, he was a struggling actor with minor roles who worked odd jobs and had nowhere to live. I Play Rocky wastes no time making the audience sympathize with Stallone’s life and root for him. From the very first scene, Ippolito transforms into Stallone and never wavers. The trio of Stallone, Carl Weathers (Stephan James), and Talia Shire (Kiki Seto) all feel like their respective actors ripped from the past.

Once AnnaSophia Robb‘s Sasha Czack enters the film, she becomes Stallone’s guiding light and inspires him to write his own movie and give himself the leading role. Although Robb was recently in Rebel Ridge alongside Lanterns star Aaron Pierre, I couldn’t help but think we need more of her in media. She brings so much charm and can deliver a powerful performance when given the opportunity (see Bridge to Terabithia).

Anthony Ippolito and Stephan James look and feel like Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers from their past selves. Image Credit: Amazon MGM Studios.

As the film jumps through Stallone’s time moving to Los Angeles and writing various screenplays, I wish we got to see more from that time. But I get that we’re focusing on the story of Rocky getting made, rather than this being a straight Stallone biopic. When Stallone pitches Rocky to producers Robert Chartoff (Toby Kebbell) and Irwin Winkler (P.J. Byrne), the movie becomes more than a biopic and explores the highs and lows of filmmaking. Even with the odds against him, it’s inspiring to see how hard Stallone, director John G. Avildsen (Jay Duplass), and the rest of the crew worked to make this film.

From on-set injuries to the creative decisions behind some of the original’s visual and poignant moments, it really is amazing how everything came together to make Rocky one of the best underdog films of all time and the highest-grossing film in 1976 when the studio didn’t believe in it. As Duplass’ Avildsen says in this film, Rocky isn’t a boxing movie; it’s a character study that happens to have boxing in it.

Farrelly does a great job using Ippolito, James, and Seto to recreate memorable scenes from Rocky, as they feel like 1:1 copies of the original film. While I Play Rocky relies heavily on these updated scenes, it honestly worked for me every time. When Ippolito performs Rocky’s monologue about his prime, I was taken right back to my first viewing of the original movie, as it evoked those same feelings.

While Rocky fans will appreciate I Play Rocky the most, people who haven’t seen the original film can jump into this, see how the movie got made, and will want to play Rocky right after. I didn’t need another excuse to rewatch Rocky, but this film will definitely make that next viewing even better, knowing what it took to make.

I Play Rocky premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12. The film is coming to select theaters on November 6 and will have a wide release on November 20. Follow Agents of Fandom socials for all the latest entertainment news and reviews.

Agents of Fandom rating 4 out of 5