The Stallone film I Play Rocky is a sensation at the Toronto Film Festival, and everyone is talking about Anthony Ippolito

Previewed this week at TIFF, Peter Farrelly’s biopic devoted to the early days of Sylvester Stallone impresses, especially for the performance of Anthony Ippolito, who plays the young actor with an uncanny resemblance.

There are films where we already know the ending.

We know that Rocky will become a phenomenon, that Sylvester Stallone will become a huge star and that his crazy gamble will ultimately pay off. But this obviously does not prevent I Play Rocky to make a small impact in Toronto.

While it will be one of the events of the end of the year in theaters, Peter Farrelly’s new film – crowned at the Oscars with Green Book – premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) these days. He returns to the incredible story of the birth of Rocky and on the fight led by Stallone to impose his scenario while obtaining the main role. And if there’s one thing that early reviews seem to agree on, it’s Anthony Ippolito’s performance.

“I Play Rocky is the best film I’ve seen so far this year. The ultimate retelling of one of Hollywood’s most iconic underdog stories”enthuses critic Scott Menzel on X. According to him, Ippolito “completely embodies Sylvester Stallone”restoring his voice as well as his physical presence, his determination and his vulnerability.

Same enthusiasm on the side of Varietywho believes that the actor goes well beyond simple imitation. “Ippolito reproduces Stallone’s distinctive voice with impressive precision, but above all manages to bring out the young man behind the future star: a stubborn, gentle actor determined to believe in his dream“. For the critic, I Play Rocky is ultimately a crowd pleaser skillfully constructed, which plays to the fullest on the nostalgia of Rocky.

THE New York Post is also won over and describes the film as “moving, inspiring and surprisingly funny”. The newspaper even compared Ippolito’s first appearances to those of Timothée Chalamet in A complete strangerbefore emphasizing that his interpretation never falls into caricature.

ComingSoon gave the film a score of 9/10 for its entertaining direction, highlighting the actor’s ability “to capture Stallone’s physical presence without falling into imitation.”

But several critics also regretted a film that was too conventional, and Vulture notes that, despite the film’s endearing qualities – while noting its syrupy side – “that Anthony Ippolito doesn’t play Stallone very differently from how he might play Rocky.”

And the TIFF audience seems to have followed suit. I Play Rocky received a real ovation during its first screening, with some spectators going so far as to stand up to applaud the film. The Associated Press is already presenting it as a serious crowd pleaser and a possible candidate in the Oscar race.

Finally, The Guardian believes that the film relies heavily on fan service and nostalgia to the detriment of real emotion.

But even the most reserved critics seem to recognize one thing: Anthony Ippolito is the great revelation of I Play Rocky. To play young Stallone, the actor trained for more than a year and a half and worked on his physical transformation and his way of speaking. Today he seems to have succeeded in his bet.

I Play Rocky will be released in select US theaters on November 6, before a national release on November 20. It will arrive in theaters in France on December 23.