Variety's review of Peter Farrelly's "I Play Rocky" praises the film's account of how a struggling Sylvester Stallone conceived, wrote and fought to star in "Rocky" in the mid-1970s, singling out Anthony Ippolito's performance as Stallone for its remarkably accurate look and voice. The reviewer argues the film succeeds as a nostalgic crowd-pleaser that captures the improvisational spirit behind the original's creation, released to coincide with "Rocky" approaching its 50th anniversary this November.

Written by Peter Gamble, the story follows Stallone from a run-down New York flophouse in 1974, struggling to land more than bit parts, through his relationship with Sasha (AnnaSophia Robb), who encourages him to write his own script. It traces the couple's move to Los Angeles, Stallone's work as a parking attendant while he keeps writing, and the pivotal moment on 24 March 1975 when, watching Muhammad Ali's title defence against underdog Chuck Wepner on television, he finds the spark for the story that would become "Rocky".