Written by Elisa Diaz. Photo by Kashvi Pallapotu.
“I like this more than anything you’ve ever written…there’s something big here”
- Peter Gamble from “I Play Rocky”
“I Play Rocky” is the underdog story of the year. When you watch the film, you are with Sylvester Stallone (Anthony Ippolito) every step of the way. You feel his joy, his struggle, and his pain. Sylvester’s journey of making “Rocky” is a beautiful, remarkable mess unlike any other. You truly see the way Sylvester is Rocky: the poor, ignored underdog, who changed his life through his determination.
No one was more deserving of the Breakthrough award than Ippolito. Before the movie started, the award was presented to him by his co-star AnnaSophia Robb, who shared the story of how Ippolito got the part. As soon as he learned about the project, he sought out the script, practiced boxing, studied Sylvester Stallone’s acting, practiced and recorded scenes from “Rocky,” and then sent them to the producers. The movie creators didn’t look at anyone else, he instantly had the part. Honestly, that is the most “Rocky” coded story I have ever heard.
The amount of talent and skill he holds in this role is astonishing. To play a character that is a real person, and then play the character playing a whole other character, he truly transforms into both Sylvester and Rocky. Throughout the movie, the characters often refer to “The Thing”- the moment in a film that makes a movie and the difference between a good movie and a great movie.
It is often a scene, a pinnacle moment in the film, but I believe “The Thing” could be anything. And in this biopic, it’s Ippolito. His acting, his expressions, his ability to both be a great actor and play a great actor is what makes this film so amazing. He put so much detail into action from the shifts in his body language to how he carries himself depending on who he is playing. The softness and complete trust he displays when his character is with his wife, Sasha (AnnaSophia Robb). He makes every moment intentional.
Though I could write a thousand more words about Ippolito’s talent, Peter Gamble, the biopic’s incredible screenwriter is a big reason this movie is so incredible. Gamble does an impeccable job at balancing the key aspects of the film. There’s this constant flow of scenes that show us the humanity, the humor, the realness of the characters. Each of them are distinct and flawed in all the best ways. Gamble is a genius of the dramatic, and an expert at snapshot biopic writing. There is never a restful moment, every scene demands your full attention and heart.
Ultimately, as a daughter who grew up watching “Rocky” with her dad, this film means the absolute world to me. It is a powerful deep dive and new perspective on a movie I loved growing up. A new variation of the rush I felt the first time I saw Rocky’s training montage from the original film. As an artist, this movie made me want to run back to my desk and do nothing but create for hours, even days. It’s evidence of what comes from always trying, of pushing past failures. But above all, I felt like I was at home watching a movie with my dad again. When a movie transports you somewhere else, especially a place unrelated to it, that’s when you know you’re witnessing a masterpiece.
