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When you think about it with a clear head (ie. when Bill Conti’s Rocky theme isn’t playing), making a film about the filming of Rocky doesn’t actually make a whole lot of sense. Think about it; yes Peter Farrelly has made a film that details the remarkable, underdog story of making the most famous underdog story in cinema – but when you realise that the entire franchise is already absurdly autobiographical to the peaks and troughs of the career of Sylvester Stallone anyway, Rocky is essentially the true story of Rocky.
Anyway, if we place the paradoxical nature of biopic irony to one side, I Play Rocky has some notoriously sizable gloves to fill. Not only do the filmmakers involved have to get the unbelievable true story onto the screen, but there’s the sizable issue of who the hell do you cast as Stallone himself without the entire thing feeling like some sort of bizarre parody. It’s time to unload all the old boxing maxims that I can think of while we ring the bell for round one and see if this latest biopic can go the distance.
In the early 70s, we find acting hopeful Mike Stallone trying everything he can to make it as an actor in New York City. But between trying to erase a notable lisp, and weathering apathy from every casting call he shows up for, he refuses to give up despite having the “wrong look”, and soon he’s sleeping rough and doing soft core porn in order to make ends meet. However, after meeting and eventually dating co-worker Sasha Czack, she gives him some pointed advice that starts a fateful ball rolling – if no one is giving you the roles you want, why not just write them for yourself. While his first attempt, Paradise Alley, catches the interest of producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler, they want something with a broader appeal than a wrestling picture, so after getting inspiration from watching a nobody named Chuck Wepner almost go 15 rounds with Muhammed Ali, Stallone – who has returned to his given name, Sylvester – writes a little screenplay called Rocky.
The good news is that everyone loves the script, but Chartoff and Winkler are stunned when the writer drops a sizable stipulation into the deal: he’ll only sell the script if he plays the central role of Rocky Balboa. Stunned at this turn of events, studio head Sandy Maddox demands that the producers simply buy Stallone off, but as the amount of money steadily rises, the determined dreamer keeps saying no.
Soon, the studio relents – but there’s a ton of strings attached. For a start, the movie can only be made for less than a million dollars in order to keep their eccentric casting choice, and if the threadbare production falls even one day behind schedule, the studio has the right to shut the production down and recast whomever they want. With the odds stacked against them, Stallone and a bewildered cast and crew strive to make a movie that not only will go on to obtain Oscar glory, but still stands as one of the most uplifting films ever made.
Anyone looking for nuance or any sort of challenging meat to sink their teeth into may find I Play Rocky to be one of those biopics that mostly just interested telling the story as straight as it possibly can. While it seems rather intuitive to make a film about an uplifting act of self belief into a film about an uplifting act of self belief, all director Peter Farrelly really wants us to do is have a good time. It’s interesting that even after all these years, the legacy of Rocky still seeks to blur the lines between Balboa and Stallone to the point that the only real difference between them is that Stallone wasn’t a punch-drunk lug. I Play Rocky certainly does it’s job trying to turn the inception and creation of the greatest boxing movie ever (sorry, Raging Bull) into something mythic, but anyone hoping for anything above a surface level retelling might be a little disappointed.
However, while this rags to riches underdog story may not hold too many surprises in its telling, there’s two things at work here that manage to galvanise the film into something that’s truly rousing, and the first is a healthy blast of some good old fashioned nostalgia. While Stallone has seemingly hung up the boxing gloves for good (Balboa hasn’t been seen since Creed II), watching I Play Rocky recreate all the memorable moments you love from the original film proves to be something of a moving experience for anyone with an attachment to the franchise. The shooting of the training montage and the toll it takes on Stallone’s body, the casting of Carl Weathers, the issues they have filming the ice rink sequence, Rocky’s angry rant at Mickey – it’s all here and at times it feels like the closest we’ll ever get to a sequel. Of course, beyond the actual movie, we also get to see how it all came together and while, again, it’s something comprorable to biopic movie making 101, there’s a secret weapon we haven’t accounted for.
While the film is loaded with fun performances from the likes of Matt Dillion (who plays Sly’s father looking like Bruce Campbell dressed as Stan Lee), Tracey Letts (as a boo-hiss studio head) and the double act of Toby Kebbell and P.J. Byrne as the producing duo of Chartoff and Winkler, the real find here is Anthony Ippolito’s truly incredible performance as Stallone. Considering that Sly has one of the most distinctive looks and voices in cinema, anyone tackling the role would have been in very great danger of tumbling into a distracting impersonation – however, somehow Ippolito not only looks acts and sounds scarily like the legendary actor he’s portraying, at times you’ll genuinely forget you’re not watching a young Stallone at all, which is less a talent and more of a miraculous act of personality theft. In fact, it’s a shame that Noah Centino has already been cast in the Rambo reboot, so dazzling is the transformation.
Of course, true to biopic form, there’s a fair bit of glossing going on – the sweet romance and filmmaking synergy between Sly and AnnaSophia Robb’s Sasha is slightly undone a little when you realise that she was the first of three wives, and Rocky enthusiasts may be disappointed at the lack of Burgess Meredith and Paul Young in the film. However, Stephen James and Kiki Seto are both eerily accurate as Carl Weathers and Talia Shire, so I guess we can’t complain too much. However, while I Play Rocky is something of a straight forward true story that leads it’s audience by the nose through the highlights, the fact that it itself has that wonderful desire to make you want to feel good about yourself is something that shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. Rocky made us believe that we “gotta fly now”, and fittingly, so does I Play Rocky – and any excuse to hear the Rocky theme played on the big screen is always a good one.
As the creation of Rocky was something of an iconic long shot, I Play Rocky plays it safe thanks to a rather straightforward telling. However, it’s aspirations to be a feelgood underdog movie itself, and a truly astounding central performance, means that this biopic carries something of a knockout punch after all.
Rock solid.
