Aaron's Thoughts
As someone who can’t stand 95% of modern day biopics, I was highly skeptical of this walking into the theater. But I am happy to report I was almost immediately won over by its charm. It’s nothing like the stale biopics we have come to expect from Hollywood studios (Michael, Elvis, Bohemian Rhapsody, etc).
Seen plenty of criticism that it does nothing but recreate scenes of Rocky to earn good will from the audience, which I couldn’t disagree more with. The film doesn’t even get to the filming of Rocky until maybe an hour and 15 minutes in? And when it does, it is much more focused on showing you behind the scenes of the filming than recreating every scene shot for shot.
The film perfectly maps the similarities between Stallone’s real life story & the screenplay he wrote for Rocky in a way that is equally entertaining & insightful. You will laugh, cry, and be fully enthralled with the transformation of Anthony Ippolito into Sylvester Stallone. Loved every second!
