I'm a sucker for a great underdog story, especially one where somebody has absolutely no business succeeding against the ridiculous odds thrown their way, yet somehow manages to…
I'm a sucker for a great underdog story, especially one where somebody has absolutely no business succeeding against the ridiculous odds thrown their way, yet somehow manages to pull off the impossible. That's exactly what director Peter Farrelly delivers with I Play Rocky, a wonderfully entertaining, heartfelt, and awesomely inspiring look at how Sylvester Stallone fought tooth and nail to get his 1976 classic Rocky made. I had such a great time with this movie!
I already knew the incredible story of how Rocky came together, but actually watching that struggle unfold as its own movie is a whole different experience. It's funny, frustrating, emotional, and occasionally makes you want to reach through the screen and shake some sense into the Hollywood executives who couldn't recognize what was standing right in front of them.
There's something incredibly satisfying about watching a guy get told "no" a thousand different ways and respond by essentially saying, "Yeah, well, I'm doing it anyway." The film follows Stallone during his early years as a struggling actor, scraping by, facing rejection, and desperately trying to catch a break in an industry that seems determined to keep him on the outside. He's broke, his future is uncertain, and just about everyone has an opinion about why he isn't going to make it.
After watching heavyweight underdog Chuck Wepner go the distance against Muhammad Ali, Stallone gets an idea that completely consumes him. He pours himself into writing Rocky in a frantic three-and-a-half-day marathon, creating a story that Hollywood actually wants. There's just one little problem. Stallone insists on playing the lead, and the studios want absolutely nothing to do with that idea.
Producers Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler see the potential in his screenplay, but the people holding the money would rather put an established star like Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, or Ryan O'Neal in the ring. They throw increasingly tempting offers at Stallone, and this guy, who barely has enough money to survive, keeps turning them down! It's absolutely insane when you think about it.
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