The true story of the making of the 1976 film Rocky, written by and performed from a very young Sylvester Stallone. 

So it’s the 70’s, and this young struggling actor called “Mike” Stallone (Anthony Ippolito) is chasing acting auditions while enduring other forms of normal work. Every morning he does raw eggs for breakfast and runs like he’s training for some unknown marathon. In his copious amounts of free time, Mike uses a recording rig to practice his lines, and dreams of roles other than Thug #2. 

None of it is steady and Mike owns nothing, not even a flat after a while, and his only friend is a puppy he rescued from a trash heap, that he named ‘Bupkis’. The two of them sleep on the street for some time, and then Mike reluctantly attends an audition for an “adult film”. The casting call folk are both impressed with Mike’s … let’s say willingness, but again, despite how much money Mike could make, the dubious life of a porn star is not for him either. He is, as he often insists throughout the entire film, an actor. 

Taking a job in a movie theater comes with the single benefit of a coworker, one Sasha (AnnaSophia Robb), whom Mike is convinced can protect him while walking home in a dangerous neighborhood. Inevitably, Sasha and Mike become an item, and when Mike takes Sasha home to meet his dad, Frank Stallone Sr. (Matt Dillon), the bomb of the name Sylvester is dropped. 

Sylvester and his dad have a terribly strained relationship, as Stallone Sr. there seems to be of the old-school mindset of raising a son, where regular beatdowns, shouted disappointment and impossible expectations are the norm. The radiant Sasha won’t let this deter her belief in her man, and props Sly up every chance she gets, introducing him to the revolutionary idea that if no-one will cast him in a movie role he wants, that he should just write his own damn script and star in that. 

This thought would be a hell of a lot easier in good ole 2026, but for the 1970’s, even after a move to Los Angeles, the plan Sly now has is practically astronomical. He now has a baby at home and has taken a job as a valet to a prestigious hotel, while still pounding away at scripts at night. In longhand, for petes sake – Sasha types his stuff up for him, a helpful and always encouraging partner in everything. But here we are 8 scripts later, and still nothing. 

Moments of desperation when he can’t afford basic food staples for his family lead to some heartbreaking choices, but really, this is what a man, what a husband and father does for his family. But somehow, almost magically, at the end of his frayed ropes, inspiration comes from a boxing match in a bar over a bartered beer. Now, finally, lightning has struck and Sly dives into his writing the script for Rocky like his life, and more importantly the lives of his family, depended on it. Because they do. 

Bob Chartoff (Toby Kebbell) and Irwin Winkler (P.J. Byrne), the studio executives tasked with getting the Rocky script made into a feature film without the stubborn script-writer as the star, both believe quite strongly in Sly’s writing talent, at least. But both are quite dubious about Sly’s continued insistence that he and only he can play Rocky Balboa, the script is about him, and that’s just all there is to it. Despite the added zeroes to the money the studio keeps offering Sly, yes we very much want to make this movie, just with, you know, a known name as the star. 

It’s Bob and Irwin who, in desperation and hope, come up with a solution, to make Rocky with Sly as the lead on a shoestring budget and a tightly puckered shoot schedule. Then comes the prep for the film, where it turns out, oh yeah, Sly’s not a boxer at all and has no training in that area, we have to fix that in a damn hurry. We have to bring in guys to audition to play the antagonist, Apollo Creed, and while Carl Weathers (Stephan James) has the right look and attitude, he doesn’t know how to box at all either – guess who’s joining Sly at practice now! 

The film goes on to talk about revolutionary cameras and filming methods being used for the first time, the sheer physical cost of Sly training for and then being in the movie itself, and the use of film as a mirror for finally facing unresolved family issues in the best most meaningful way possible. Dad even ends up with a tiny role as the bell-ringer in Rocky, a fitting bridge for both father and son Stallone. And throughout it all, the loyal Sasha has been there, optimistic and supportive, up to and past the showing of the completed film, to everyone. 

I Play Rocky has a limited theater run beginning November 6th, 2026! 

Reviewed by Alicia Glass