I Play Rocky, Peter Farrelly’s film about how a broke Sylvester Stallone talked his way into starring in his own script, widened to additional theatres on Friday, 13 November. Amazon MGM Studios plans to open it everywhere on Friday, 20 November, and two new official clips have landed to tide fans over.
If you’ve ever pitched an idea at work, sent out a portfolio, or walked out of an audition to a polite “we’ll be in touch”, this one is aimed squarely at you.
The Bet Behind the Boxer
The studio’s own logline calls it “an electrifying true story” about “an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky, he was meant to be Rocky Balboa.” In the film’s telling, Stallone is told “no” at every turn and holds the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds.
Peter Gamble assumed he already knew the story. Reading it changed his mind, because Stallone’s real struggle turned out to be harsher than his character’s: Rocky at least had a job, while Stallone was homeless, selling his dog and taking whatever work came along.
For a film set in the business of selling scripts, that’s a pretty defiant thing to call it.
An Unknown Playing an Unknown
Here’s the detail that makes this whole project feel neatly circular. According to Farrelly, Stallone read Gamble’s script, met the filmmakers and told them, “I love it. Let’s do it.” He wasn’t financially or creatively involved in the production. He did offer one piece of advice, though, and it was to cast a relative unknown as his younger self.
The filmmakers listened, and that job went to Anthony Ippolito. So a little-known actor got the shot to play a little-known actor who refused to let a studio hand his big role to someone more famous. It’s the kind of symmetry a screenwriter would get notes for being too on the nose!
The supporting line-up is stacked, with AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, P.J. Byrne, Jay Duplass and Kiki Seto, featuring Matt Dillon, with Stephan James and Tracy Letts. One review notes that Seto represents Talia Shire, Stallone’s Rocky co-star.
Two New Clips and a Bullmastiff
The two fresh clips from Amazon MGM Studios are titled “I Wrote This for Me” and “Training”, and the names alone tell you which two beats of the story they’re selling. One is the stubborn writer staking a claim on his own script, and the other is the moment that stubbornness turns physical.
The film depicts producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff as admirers of the script who still want a recognisable star in the lead. That push and pull is the engine of the drama, according to a review of the film. A studio executive named Sandy Maddox is a composite character rather than one real person, so keep that in mind if you’re treating this as a history lesson.
That dog matters more than you’d think. Stallone’s bullmastiff Butkus sits at the heart of the story Farrelly found so moving, since selling him was one of the lowest points of Stallone’s broke years. Even reviewers who were cooler on the film singled out the scenes with Butkus as its most poignant.
What the Critics Are Saying
So the honest read is this: go for Ippolito, go for the story of a guy refusing to fold, and don’t expect it to land as hard as Rocky itself. If your November is already filling up with films, like the picks in our vOilah! French Film Festival 2026 guide, this one is the easy, feel-good option for a night out with friends.
The Details
🗓️ Date: Now in select theatres; additional theatres from Friday, 13 November 2026; everywhere from Friday, 20 November 2026 (Amazon MGM Studios’ planned rollout)
🎬 Director: Peter Farrelly, from a script by Peter Gamble
🥊 Starring: Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone, with AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, P.J. Byrne, Jay Duplass and Kiki Seto, featuring Matt Dillon, with Stephan James and Tracy Letts
🔞 Rating: PG-13 for strong language, brief sexual material and smoking
🎟️ Tickets: On sale now, according to the studio
Anyone who’s ever had a good idea waved off by someone with more power will find something to cheer for in I Play Rocky, and the fact that Stallone himself signed off on it makes the underdog angle hit a little harder. Check the official I Play Rocky site for tickets, and follow Amazon MGM Studios on TikTok ahead of the wide release on 20 November. Bring the friend who keeps getting told no!
Visuals courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.
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