Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0.
The greatest Rocky story since the original was hiding in plain sight all along. This week on ‘Fun and Games’.
They say the sequel is never as good as the original.
In Rocky’s case, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Five sequels and three Creed spinoffs later, the franchise resembled an aging heavyweight who just couldn’t bring himself to hang up the gloves.
But how do you follow one of the most beloved sports movies ever made?
The answer wasn’t another fight, another opponent or another comeback. It was going back to before the beginning — the remarkable story of a struggling actor who refused to give up his dream. The story behind the story.
I Play Rocky recently opened in theaters, telling the improbable story of Sylvester Stallone’s journey from struggling, virtually unknown actor to Hollywood legend. His original screenplay would earn him two Academy Award nominations — Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay — placing him in the exclusive company of Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles.
Going in, I had my doubts. Would my desire to relive those unforgettable scenes from the original overshadow the story of how the movie actually got made?
Not even close.
The behind-the-scenes drama was every bit as compelling as the action inside the ring. Much will be written about “I play Rocky’s” casting, and deservedly so. I had to remind myself that those scenes weren’t actual footage from the original movie, but modern-day actors re-living a 50-year old screenplay. Anthony Ippolito is terrific as Rocky. The actors playing Paulie, Adrian, Apollo Creed, Mickey were wonderful. … even Butkus delivered!
As I was watching, I remembered my birthday in 1976 when Mom gifted me the “Rocky” soundtrack and a puppy. It led to chugging raw eggs and 6 am runs with “Tatum”, training for the upcoming frosh basketball tryouts. Yes, thanks to Rocky’s inspiration, I was gonna be the East Bay Athletic League’s next Dr. J.
Spoiler alert. I never did become the EBAL’s next Dr. J. But 50 years later I still remember what it felt like to believe I could.
And half a century and countless sequels later, Hollywood finally found the one story worthy of the original.
It wasn’t another Rocky Balboa comeback, or heavyweight showdown or triumphant run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.
The greatest untold Rocky story was there all along.
It was the story of a struggling young actor who bet everything on himself, refused to take no for an answer and somehow convinced Hollywood to let him take his shot.
Sound familiar?
It took 50 years, but Rocky finally got the sequel he deserved.
Yo, Adrian! They did it!!
