A One Mann’s Movies review of “I Play Rocky”. (2026, 4.5*, 12A).

So, the second part of my Rocky double-bill this week is Peter Farrelly’s behind the scenes look at the making of the boxing – not about boxing! – classic. I thought that this film might be quietly entertaining, but I was really not prepared for just what a wonderful roller-coaster ride I was in for. Both myself and the Illustrious Mrs Movie Mann enjoyed this one immensely.

But – BIG TIP – my strong recommendation is to approach this film like we did…. by rewatching the original Rocky (at the time of writing, it’s streaming on Prime Video in the UK) before watching this. There are just so many of the scenes that resonate better if you know the original intimately.

One Mann’s Movies Rating:

Plot:

Mike Stallone (Anthony Ippolito) scrapes a living in New York but wants to be an actor. But he’s not seen as having the looks or the voice to be one. His new girlfriend, cinema ticket seller Sasha (AnnaSophia Robb), persuades him that, despite his lack of any experience in screenwriting, he should start writing scripts and cast himself in the lead role.

Certification:

UK: 12A; US: PG-13. (From the BBFC website: “moderate sex references, violence, injury detail, strong language.”)

Talent:

Starring: Anthony Ippolito, AnnaSophia Robb, P.J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass, Matt Dillon, Stephan James, Kiki Seto, Robert Morgan.

Directed by: Peter Farrelly.

Written by: Peter Gamble.

Running Time: 2h 8m.

Review:

Positives:

• This is such an engaging story that entertains from beginning to end. Because I had drunk too much tea and coffee before going in to see this, I was busting for the loo after about 45 minutes: but there was just no opportunity to sneak out for relief! Every scene left you gagging to see what was going to come next! In many ways, the original screenplay of Rocky is quite linear and pedestrian in terms of ‘what happens’. Here, the ‘making of’ story is, if anything, even more unlikely and bizarre! This very good article on screenrant.com highlights that there were a few liberties taken with the truth… but really not that many. The general gist of what happens in the film seems to have actually happened, which is extraordinary.
• The bar scene, where Stallone gets to see something on TV that gives him the inspiration to write the screenplay, is a particularly wonderful scene. It just goes to show how budding screenwriters need to keep their eyes open and their antennae raised for interesting angles they experience in everyday life.
• The casting director should take a nod here. Anthony Ippolito is absolute perfect casting for the role of Sly Stallone. In the reenactments of scenes from Rocky (e.g. the pummelling of the punchball in “Gotta Fly Now”) it is difficult to tell them apart. This feels like a bit of a rags-to-riches story for Ippolito himself since, looking at his IMDB history, he’s not had much feature film work, and nothing since 2022 when he had a supporting role in Netflix’s Purple Hearts. Another terrific fit is Kiki Seto, in her feature film debut, playing Talia Shire (who is playing A-D-R-I-A-NNNNN!) She again looks the spitting image of Shire.
• Outside of the more famous lookalikes (Burgess Meredith was always going to be a tall order!), the rest of the supporting cast do a great job too. P.J. Byrne and Toby Kebbell, as producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff respectively, make a great double act: a scene where they try to pull the wool over an irate Union boss’s eyes is a fantastic piece of cinema. And Jay Duplass brings a really dynamic sense of quirky energy to the role of the stressed director John Avildsen, working on a shoestring budget. His search for “the thing” is brilliant, and the scene where he gets it exceptional.
• I commented in my review of Rocky that I hope there is a scene where Stallone listens to the Rocky theme for the first time. There actually isn’t! But there is a scene of Winkler and Chartoff hearing the tape from Bill Conti for the first time…. and they don’t like it! “What is Bill doing??? This isn’t a military film!“, LOL!

Negatives:

• I really have no notes here. Both myself and the Illustrious Mrs Movie Mann agreed that it didn’t quite feel like a 5* film…. but it really came pretty damned close.

Monkeys?

There are some pretty cool monkeys in the end-titles. During the early part of the scroll there are lots of interesting historical clips shown. But a fascinating interview is shown right at the very end of the end titles. This is literally as the last of the icons scroll off the top, and the screen is completely black for a second of two…. so it is an exceptionally sneaky monkey! (We were the only two in the cinema to get to see it!) The clip is well-worth staying for.

Summary Thoughts:

This caught me by surprise at how good it was. This is a fascination insight into the making of a classic for movie buffs, but it is also a great film full-stop. It really leaves you with such a strong feelgood buzz.

From the extremely varied (and often very bad-taste) stable of Peter Farrelly also came Green Book in 2018. This was my Film of the Year for 2018 and went on to be nominated for 5 Oscars, winning three, including Best Picture. In such a hugely competitive year that 2026 has turned into, I don’t see this winning Best Picture again: but I can see a lot of Oscar buzz building behind this feelgood offering. So it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see this movie nominated in a number of categories. An interesting decision will be to see – if it is deemed worthy – the Academy nominate it in the Best Original or Best Adapted Screenplay category!

Where to watch?

Trailer

The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_g_Ut0jO-0.

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