TIFF Goes Wild For I Play Rocky: Peter Farrelly's New Drama Emerges As An Instant Oscar Contender!

TIFF Goes Wild For I Play Rocky: Peter Farrelly's New Drama Emerges As An Instant Oscar Contender!

Can Anthony Ippolito win Best Actor for playing Sylvester Stallone? TIFF’s rave reviews for Peter Farrelly’s new Oscar contender I Play Rocky says he's a strong dark horse contender!

By MarkJulian - Sep 13, 2026 05:09 PM EST
Filed Under: Action
Source: ActioNewz.com

Director and screenwriter Peter Farrelly is back in the Oscar conversation after winning big with 2018's Green Book, and this time, it’s all about how Sly became a household name after writing and starring in Rocky.

I Play Rocky, just dropped at TIFF, and the critics in attendance are absolutely loving it. The buzz coming out of the festival is massive, with critics already pinning it as a serious awards season heavy-hitter.

The real shocker, though? Anthony Ippolito. Critics are losing their minds over his turn as Sylvester Stallone, calling him a sneaky dark horse candidate for Best Actor.

Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best first reactions, and spoiler alert: they’re pretty much glowing across the board.

Mark your calendars; I Play Rocky hits theaters everywhere across North America on November 6.

The film is 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. Told 'no' at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.

Starring: Anthony Ippolito, Matt Dillon, AnnaSophia Robb, P.J. Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass and Kiki Seto

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Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 9/13/2026, 5:30 PM
I saw the trailer for this when I saw The Odessey and most of the audience had the same reaction as I did; they snickered at the hamfisted delievery of dude's Stallone voice.
Looks like standard Hollywood self-congratulatory wankery to me.
dragon316
dragon316 - 9/13/2026, 5:40 PM
@Feralwookiee - it’s hollywoood version of true story how he became to be in non documentary movie version
Huskers
Huskers - 9/13/2026, 6:11 PM
@Feralwookiee - Hollywood does like to do that! I thought Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was overrated and they loved it for the same reason.
Equivocal
Equivocal - 9/13/2026, 9:51 PM
@Huskers -

Not only you, a lot of people thought once in a time in hollywood IS Overrated AF !!!
BeNice123
BeNice123 - 9/13/2026, 5:32 PM
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ThePott
ThePott - 9/13/2026, 5:54 PM
Goes wild?

Currently at 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_play_rocky
newhire13
newhire13 - 9/14/2026, 6:24 AM
@ThePott - Says 76%. But either way it could be worse. Apparently the reactions to Snyder’s movie that screened was not so good.
ThePott
ThePott - 9/14/2026, 6:29 AM
@newhire13 - At time of writing, it was lower, has risen alright but not sure Oscar contention is on the cards.

Yeah, the Snyder reviews are vicious, sounds almost unreleasable in it's current form.
incredibleTalk
incredibleTalk - 9/13/2026, 6:01 PM
Already got Reacher in my hometown now Philly will get some respect for a change!

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FreddyH
FreddyH - 9/13/2026, 6:33 PM
I was just a kid in 1976, but I remember what a phenomenon Rocky was. People who hadn't given a F about boxing suddenly became armchair experts on the sport.

I remember me & my friends spending recess pretending to be Rocky and Apollo and recreating the epic fight.

What a crazy time.

Of course, I was too young then to realize that Rocky was really a love story.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 9/13/2026, 6:42 PM
But he plays COCKY ?
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/13/2026, 7:10 PM
Cool!!.

The movie’s looked good imo as well as the performances especially from Anthony Ippolito for the most part too..

Anyway as someone who likes Rocky , I’m excited to see it but moreso are my uncles who grew up loving the film!!.
DocSpock
DocSpock - 9/13/2026, 7:13 PM

In 1976, I took a hot chick from work to see this movie in the pot smoke filled balcony of the Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth, Texas. Score!!

My question: if my wife slips the tequila bottle into her purse and drags me to see this AGAIN, do I have to put out AGAIN???

Matchesz
Matchesz - 9/13/2026, 9:17 PM
I wonder what sort of training he put himself through to achieve that dead in the eyes look Sylvester be rockin

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