I Play Rocky just proved it can go the distance with the Rocky franchise, but one classic still holds the belt. The biopic’s Rotten Tomatoes score reveals exactly where it stands against all six original Rocky films and the results may surprise you.
I Play Rocky gets respectable Rotten Tomatoes score
I Play Rocky currently holds a 75% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 20 critic reviews. The Peter Farrelly-directed biopic stars Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone and opens in limited release on Nov. 13, 2026.
Hollywood Reporter critic David Rooney praised the lead performance. “The element that holds the movie together is Ippolito, who nails the garbled, rumbling diction, hangdog expression and hulking physicality of Stallone,” he wrote. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman also responded positively. He noted that the film “understands the karmic way in which the story of ‘Rocky’ was echoed in the saga of how Stallone got the movie off the ground.”
How I Play Rocky’s Rotten Tomatoes score compars to past Rocky movies
Notably, the 75% score places I Play Rocky above four entries in the main Rocky franchise. It trails only the original Rocky and 2006’s Rocky Balboa in critical reception. Here is how all six original Rocky films scored on Rotten Tomatoes:
- Rocky (1976) – 93%
- Rocky II (1979) – 68%
- Rocky III (1982) – 66%
- Rocky IV (1985) – 38%
- Rocky V (1990) – 31%
- Rocky Balboa (2006) – 78%
Unsurprisingly, the original 1976 film remains the franchise’s critical peak with a Certified Fresh 93%. Additionally, Rocky Balboa earned a Certified Fresh 78% upon its release. Meanwhile, Rocky V sits at the bottom with a Rotten 31% score.
As a result, I Play Rocky outperforms the second, third, fourth, and fifth installments. However, it still falls short of the franchise’s two highest-rated entries. Ultimately, the film tells the story behind Stallone’s fight to star in his own screenplay against studio resistance.
