It seemed like old times. All reports from the premiere public screening of “I Play Rocky” at the recent Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) highlighted the fact that the audience inside the Princess of Wales Theatre was jubilant at what they were watching.
And what they were watching was an unusual sports film based on the Academy Award-winning boxing drama “Rocky,” which thrilled moviegoers in 1976. Fifty years later, the newcomer, titled “I Play Rocky,” was repeatedly interrupted with cheers and applause from the enthusiastic sold-out TIFF crowd. The standing ovation it received when it ended was long and loud. I was not at the Princess of Wales, but I did have the opportunity later on to see the opening weekend’s popular success.
“I Play Rocky” is an astonishing hybrid, a film based on the making of “Rocky,” which is considered by its legions of fans and most critics, myself included, to be one of the finest movies ever made. The original feature about how a low-level boxer from Philadelphia is given the chance to get into the ring with a certified champion was celebrated with its own cheers, as well as with 10 Academy Award nominations, winning three: best picture, director John G. Avildsen, and film editing. Its other nominations were for actor Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, actress Talia Shire, supporting actors Burgess Meredith and Burt Young, original song, “Gonna Fly Now,” sound, and original screenplay for Stallone. “Rocky” was the highest-grossing movie in 1976 in the United States and Canada.
What immediately propels you into enjoying “I Play Rocky” is how extraordinary the now 27-year-old Anthony Ippolito is as Stallone. Is it an Oscar-worthy performance? Yes, it absolutely is. Ippolito is that good. People who genuinely love motion pictures don’t like spoilers, but a film about how “Rocky” was made literally can’t be spoiled. You take delight in revisiting the characters (new actors and actresses playing now-famous actors and actresses who were playing fictional characters).
As familiar as “Rocky” is, “I Play Rocky,” which is directed by Peter Farrelly and written by Peter Gamble, is smartly constructed and feels fresh. The movie, which opens in theaters in early November, is so expertly crafted that it allows you to be completely comfortable with the story it’s telling about how Stallone wrote and was able to star in the picture. It needs to be stated that Stallone has no association whatsoever with the new film. According to all reporting, he was advised beforehand that the movie had received approval for production by the studio, but that’s all he knew. Make of this what you will.
At TIFF, “I Play Rocky” was the first runner-up for the coveted People’s Choice Award, which is bestowed by audiences who are certified to have seen the movie for which they have voted. The People’s Choice winner was “La Bola Negra” from Spain, which is already on a fast track to be the 2027 Academy Award winner for International Film. The historical drama, which created a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as at TIFF, follows a brilliant and talented group of gay and straight writers and artists coming to terms with censorship and their own loyalty to each other during the Spanish Civil War and living under politically fascist Spain. Netflix owns the rights to the picture and starting October 16, it will give it the longest theatrical release, 47 days, in the company’s history. I will review it when it opens.
One of the most unique series of books is the Ripley novels, five psychological thrillers written by the American author Patricia Highsmith. The first book is 1955’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” The new movie “A Talent for Murder” was shown at TIFF. Highsmith, who also wrote the novels “Strangers on a Train” and “The Price of Salt,” was considered an ornery and often moody writer who preferred the company of animals, especially cats, to people. As she got older, she was often described as hateful.
“A Talent for Murder,” which divided audiences at TIFF, is directed by Anton Corbijn and based on the play “Switzerland” by Joanna Murray-Smith, who also wrote the screenplay. A young man named Edward Ridgeway is a publisher’s representative who travels from New York City to Highsmith’s house in Switzerland. His purpose is to persuade the acclaimed author to write another novel in the financially successful, murder-themed series featuring the psychologically damaged protagonist Tom Ripley.
In “A Talent for Murder,” Highsmith, who is brilliantly acted by Helen Mirren, spurns Ridgeway’s request and orders him to leave. However, she is also intrigued by the attention and toys with the fellow, who is superbly played by Alden Ehrenreich. Ridgeway works to get Highsmith to formulate a storyline by using the presence of a woman he met on a train. As the movie progresses, reality and fantasy become more sinister. Olivia Cooke as Clementine and Juliet Stevenson as Peggy are also in the cast and are perfect. I enjoyed the film. The performances and menacing mystery theme are good reasons to see the picture when it opens Oct. 23 in theaters.
This was TIFF’s 51st year – my 36th in a row – and it offered 293 features and shorts. I find it fun to slip something unusual into the mix, and I watched a documentary that speaks to today’s means of delivering goods to households, which is a multi-trillion-dollar economic powerhouse. Legendary writer-director Barbara Kopple, who was the first woman to win two Academy Awards for documentary filmmaking, saw her newest film arrive at TIFF literally straight out of the headlines. “Union Town” follows hardworking delivery workers at UPS and Amazon as they take on their behemoth corporations for higher pay, safer working conditions, and a fierce struggle to form unions. Kopple’s 106-minute documentary is insightful, fast-moving, and informational in the best possible way.
The Toronto International Film Festival continues to be a major player in the annual celebration of cinema. As someone who delights in the comfort of moviegoing in Canada’s largest city, I agree that its audiences are as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as any successful festival could possibly hope to have.