Director Peter Farrelly’s new film, “I Play Rocky,” made its world premiere on Saturday night during the Toronto International Film Festival’s Special Presentations slate at the Princess of Wales Theatre. The movie chronicles the improbable journey of how Sylvester Stallone fought to bring the 1976 boxing drama “Rocky” to the screen, a story that now mirrors its subject’s own underdog trajectory.
The film has emerged as a strong candidate for TIFF’s top honor, the People’s Choice Award, drawing multiple standing ovations from audiences. The narrative recounts how Stallone, then a struggling actor with a script that studios had largely rejected, insisted on starring in the lead role despite financial incentives to cast an established star. The original “Rocky” went on to become the highest-grossing film of its year and won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Farrelly, whose film “Green Book” also won the People’s Choice Award eight years prior before claiming Best Picture at the Oscars, described the casting process as almost destined. He revealed that Anthony Ippolito, a relatively unknown actor, submitted a self-taped audition of three scenes filmed in his grandmother’s basement. Upon viewing the tape, Farrelly stated, “That’s the guy. We didn’t have to go any further.”
I just want to know if they got the boxing scenes right. Most biopics butcher the ring work, but I’m cautiously optimistic here.
Can we talk about how meta this is? An underdog actor playing Stallone when he was an underdog? The symmetry is genuinely thrilling.
Standing ovations at TIFF are still just buzz until you see the final cut. Green Book had the People’s Choice but lost its soul somewhere along the way.
Anthony Ippolito? From a basement audition tape? That is the most Rocky thing that has ever happened in real life casting news!
Farrelly directing this is such an interesting choice. I wonder if the humor lands or if it feels too polished for Stallone’s gritty origin story.