Yet, what is often overlooked is Stallone’s work behind the camera. Most just associate him with his iconic characters, like Rocky Balboa and John Rambo, and the acting he put into making those characters work. And while that association makes sense, it also overlooks some of Stallone’s strongest talents, which are his writing and directing abilities.
The new film I Play Rocky, which is out in theaters starting today, tells the story of Stallone‘s big break in Hollywood. The autobiographical film shows how Stallone, down on his luck and struggling severely, was able to write the iconic screenplay for Rocky (in incredibly quick fashion), and then fought tooth and nail to play the character himself.
As a result, I Play Rocky is one of the feel-good movies of not just this holiday season, but the entire year as well. Just like the original Rocky film itself, I Play Rocky is the story of a true underdog that rises all the way to the top. What makes I Play Rocky an even more inspiring film is that it’s based on a true story, that of Sylvester Stallone’s life (and early years as a struggling actor).
As is the case with most true stories, the question arises of whether or not I Play Rocky is an accurate depiction of what actually happened. The answer to that question is complicated, as I Play Rocky is mostly faithful to real-life events, but there are some things that were altered for the sake of the movie.
The True Story Behind Sylvester Stallone's Fight To Make Rocky
Sylvester Stallone was just twenty-nine years old when he wrote Rocky. He had aspired to become an actor, but was also intent on proving himself as a screenwriter as well. Stallone poured his heart and soul into the script of Rocky, and that’s something that is highlighted throughout the duration of I Play Rocky.
Stallone’s Hollywood aspirations began when he was just a young boy. Raised in Hell’s Kitchen, a borough of Manhattan, Stallone grew up alongside his father, a hairdresser who is portrayed by Matt Dillon in the new film, and his mother, who worked a variety of jobs throughout her life.
Sylvester Stallone struggled greatly academically, and reportedly attended over a dozen different schools before he even reached high school. However, it was in high school that his connection to the story of Rocky began to solidify, as Stallone attended his final years of schooling before university in Philadelphia, the city that Rocky is from.
Stallone later attended university in Switzerland, before returning to the United States. Stallone then transferred to the University of Miami, where he studied for two years before he moved back to New York City. Upon returning home, Stallone worked both at a cinema and at a zoo, where he cleaned the animals’ cages. I Play Rocky starts with Stallone working at the cinema as an usher, but it leaves out his work with animals.
Sylvester Stallone then moved to California with his then wife, who is depicted in the new film, but he has noted in interviews that things were very difficult at that time. That’s exactly what I Play Rocky shows, and it also shows Stallone giving up his dog because he wasn’t able to take care of him anymore. Stallone later watched a boxing match with Muhammad Ali, which inspired him to write the screenplay for Rocky, which he completed in about ten months (more on that later).
Stallone then shot and filmed Rocky, although the producers were initially hesitant to allow him to star in the film. The production was marred with conflict, as Stallone clashed with some of the producers on the film (who he, in years since, has accused of swindling him). From there, the new film shows the completion of the movie, Stallone getting his dog back, and seeing the success of Rocky unfold.
What I Play Rocky Changes About The Real Events Behind The 1976 Movie
As stated, I Play Rocky is, generally speaking, accurate to the true story. Yet, there are a few things that were changed, some of which are minor, while others are more substantial in nature. For one, Stallone was reportedly fired from the theater he worked at for attempted ticket scalping. That’s a relatively small omission, but there are bigger aspects of Stallone’s early life that were left out, too.
One is that Stallone had already sold scripts before, and had a degree of success in doing so. He may have been extremely poor, but he did have some knowledge of how to get the attention of producers in Hollywood, which then helped him get Rocky off the ground in the first place. In fact, before Rocky, a script that Stallone was working on was one that would tell his whole life story, which he called From Roaches to Riches.
Additionally, just as Stallone had more success in screenwriting than the film shows, he also had a relatively consistent stream of movie parts to go along with that. I Play Rocky chooses not to focus on that, and instead plays up the underdog story of the movie by having him go from zero to one hundred overnight.
Arguably the biggest change that I Play Rocky makes is related to the key montage, which shows Stallone writing the script for Rocky in just three days. While it is true that Stallone did complete the script in that amount of time, he had also been developing and outlining the story for about ten months before that (as per The New York Times), so it wasn’t exactly the quick turnaround that I Play Rocky suggests (although it’s still very impressive that he finished the script in that short of a time).
Sylvester Stallone's Real-Life Story Is Even More Inspiring
Ultimately, though, Stallone’s real life story is even more inspiring than what the new film shows. He struggled greatly in his early years as a child, much of which the movie skipped over, and even as he sold a few scripts in Hollywood, Stallone was far from successful overall, which makes what really happened all the more remarkable and impressive.
I Play Rocky is in theaters now.
English (US) ·