Farrelly's 'I Play Rocky' Premieres at TIFF as Best Picture Contender — SkimNews
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- "I Play Rocky" held its world premiere Sept. 12 at TIFF's Special Presentations program at the Princess of Wales Theatre, with multiple applauses breaking out during the screening of Peter Farrelly's Stallone biopic
- Anthony Ippolito earned a star-making turn as Sylvester Stallone after self-taping three scenes in his grandmother's basement — ending director Peter Farrelly's casting search on the spot, Farrelly told the crowd
- The film carries the same People's Choice DNA as Farrelly's "Green Book," which won TIFF's top audience award in 2018 before claiming Best Picture at the Oscars — a symmetry Farrelly knows well
- Supporting cast includes AnnaSophia Robb as Sasha Czack, Matt Dillon as Frank Stallone Sr., Stephan James as Carl Weathers, Kiki Seto as Talia Shire, and Jay Duplass as "Rocky" director John G. Avildsen
- Amazon MGM Studios opens "I Play Rocky" in limited release Nov. 6, expanding nationwide Nov. 20
- Ippolito previously played a young Al Pacino in Paramount+'s "The Offer" — making this his second time portraying a young Italian American icon at the dawn of a Best Picture winner
Why it matters: With Amazon MGM Studios booking "I Play Rocky" into a late-November corridor after a potential TIFF People's Choice Award win, the studio has a built-in awards-season runway — but Farrelly's polarizing reputation with online film critics means the film leans on the same crowd-pleaser credentials that carried "Green Book" to Best Picture.
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