Saturday, September 12, 2026

“I Play Rocky” Plays Through the Roof in Toronto — Universal Raves for the Story of How Sylvester Stallone Created the Beloved Character and Movie

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“I Play Rocky” is a hit.

A movie about how Sylvester Stallone created his famous character and made the Oscar winning film debuted tonight to raves at the Toronto Film Festival.

In a world of “The Odyssey,” “I Play Rocky” is now a contendah for awards season.

I told you about this movie a while ago when I spoke to “Rocky” producer Irwin Winkler about it. He didn’t have anything to do with this one. He just said, make your movie.

One reviewer who saw the film in Toronto tonight wrote: “I Play Rocky” is a really beautiful reminder of the magic and inspiration in filmmaking, swinging a great emotional punch. Anthony Ippolito is a knockout with an exceptional supporting cast around him, many of whom are sneaky funny. They did a great job here. Tremendous movie.” (Brandon Davis)

Erik Davis of Fandango posted the wild standing ovation.

“I Play Rocky” is directed by Peter Farrelly, who you from “Green Book” all those comedies with his brother. Anthony Ippolito plays young Stallone, with a cast that includes Matt Dillon and Tracey Letts.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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