I Play Rocky Earns Best Picture Buzz at TIFF — SkimNews
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- "I Play Rocky" premiered at TIFF to rapturous applause, with pundits declaring its Best Picture nomination a matter of "when" not "if," per the Amazon MGM Studios release
- The film covers Stallone's down-and-out period — homeless, jobless, and auditioning for pornographic films — casting newcomer Anthony Ippolito in the title role and AnnaSophia Robb as first wife Sasha
- Supporting cast includes Toby Kebbell as producer Robert Chartoff, P.J. Byrne as Irwin Winkler, Jay Duplass as Rocky director John Avildsen, and Tracy Letts as fictional studio executive Sandy Maddox, a composite character delivering digs at Paramount Pictures
- Screenwriter Peter Gamble is positioned as an awards contender in his first studio film, with Farrelly — a Best Original Screenplay Oscar winner for "Green Book" — singled out for teeing up his breakout
- The film ends with a real-life clip of the Oscars, and its crowdpleaser tone is compared to Best Picture nominees "Mank," "The Hours," and "Capote"
- Compared unfavorably to Lionsgate's "Michael," another recent pop-culture-icon biopic, which holds a billion-dollar gross advantage heading into awards season
- Amazon MGM Studios faces a dual-campaign decision, with the article arguing "Project Hail Mary" — a spring hit that skipped festivals — should take priority over "I Play Rocky" for the studio's Best Picture push
Why it matters: Amazon MGM Studios now has two crowdpleasers competing for the same awards-season resources, and the article argues a proven commercial hit ("Project Hail Mary") should take precedence over TIFF buzz ("I Play Rocky") — a resource-allocation call with real consequences for which film lands the bigger campaign spend.
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