Austin Film Festival 2026
Most cinephiles know the story of Rocky, the lovable underdog club boxer from Philadelphia who gets a shot at the heavyweight title and nearly wins it. However, not everyone knows how Sylvester Stallone poured his heart and soul into the screenplay and struggled to get the film made. The story behind the movie’s making is a pure underdog story of its own, guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings and possibly inspire future film writers and other filmmakers to pursue their visions and dreams without compromise.
Anthony Ippolito stars as Sylvester Stallone. During the 1970s, Stallone struggled to make a living as an actor. Most casting directors, producers, and directors saw the muscular actor as fit only for brutish, moronic characters. It also didn’t help that the actor had a speech impediment. Undaunted by these challenges, Sly, with the encouragement and support of his wife, Sasha (AnnaSophia Robb), decides to write his own screenplay in hopes of portraying the lead.
Stallone manages to get his movie Rocky greenlit by producers Robert Chartoff (Toby Kebbell) and Irwin Winkler (P.J. Byrne). However, neither the producers nor studio exec Sandy Maddox (Tracy Letts) wants Stallone to play the lead. They would rather cast a Hollywood star than let an unknown actor with untried acting skills portray such a major character. The result is a negotiation stand-off between Sly and the Hollywood powers-that-be.
Written by Peter Gamble and directed by Peter Farrelly, I Play Rocky is a must-see movie for fans of the classic Rocky film. Farrelly and Gamble do a great job developing Stallone as a winning, amiable protagonist who deserves genuine empathy and wholehearted support from audiences. Farrelly and crew do exceptional work in recreating 1970s New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. They particularly excel in recreating some of Rocky’s more memorable and iconic scenes. The movie obviously relies on people’s love of Rocky and the nostalgia they feel for it.
What really drives this story and wins the hearts of its audience is Anthony Ippolito’s outstanding performance. The actor not only resembles Stallone a little, but he also bulked up in muscles to fit the part. His natural charisma and his spot-on, vocal impression of Stallone and Rocky make him a perfect match for the movie. I was also impressed by AnnaSophia Robb’s performance as Sasha Stallone, Sly’s strong-willed but loving and supportive wife. The movie also features outstanding acting by Toby Kebbell, P.J. Byrne, Matt Dillon, Stephan James, Tracy Letts, and Jay Duplass.
I Play Rocky was definitely a great programming choice for the Austin Film Festival, a festival and conference geared toward screenwriters. This film is definitely an inspiration for starving film writers working hard to find their audiences and see the work come to fruition on the big screen. Well, I Play Rocky is now playing on the big screen for mass audiences to enjoy.