This is Sylvester Stallone's story, as he would like to tell it. For a little over 90 minutes, we see and hear Stallone reminisce about his life, the highlights of his career, with a few handpicked A-listers and has-beens adding anecdotes along the way. On paper, it sounds like an interesting movie, at least that's what the trailer made it look like.
However, with a career spanning over six decades, it feels like a lot of ground wasn't covered, and many rocks remained untouched. Perhaps the film wouldn't have been that different if it were a three-hour film, but in a biopic, it's not only about the conclusion but also about the journey.
For instance, there's a thorough exposition about his early life and his rise to fame, trying to lay a foundation for repeating themes in his life, like the relationship with his dad and his need to rebound again and again after listening to the wrong people. But we never deep dive into what really happened there.
All the interviews were done separately, and I think having Stallone and Talia Shire in the same room, speaking about their on-screen and maybe off-screen relationship, bringing up memories from 50 years ago and so on, could have brought much more significance and depth to this documentary.
The movie rushes over the late '80s part of his career, and besides "Rocky V," the '90s and early '00s are ignored. There's no word about "Creed" nor the '00s and the '10s. Stallone, unlike his on-screen persona, is a very articulate person. However, it is disappointing that Netflix, Thom Zimny, the director, or Stallone himself decided to commemorate Stallone's selected cinematic legacy over making a brave decision to ask more difficult questions.
Another blame is on Netflix, which has the means but prefers to play it safe when it comes to documentaries. I guess nobody wants to upset an actor or producer and ruin a potential collaboration in the future. That's one of the main reasons why cinema is still superior to streaming. It's not about the size of the screen or your sound system; it's about being able to tell a story without being chained to multiple business considerations that hold you back from punching hard at your subject and telling the best story.
An independent documentary production about the 1987 film "Robocop" was released earlier this year. It's a five-hour mini-series about one sci-fi movie. It sounds like a lot, but it's fascinating. At this time and day, where we are finally starting to summarize and bid farewell to the '70s and '80s generation of stars, I believe that certain biopic documentaries deserve a longer format, taking advantage of every living persona who is still out there and archiving in order to create a detailed and complete portrait of someone who was part of a generational pantheon.
Stallone mentions over and over again in the movie how our lifetime flies in a blink of an eye. He should also have in mind that no life story is perfect, and for those who choose fame and the public eye, life is even more complicated, full of obstacles, temptations, ego, and rivalries. Our failures go hand in hand with our triumphs, and that's what makes us human and interesting.
I hope Stallone will be able to open up again in the future. I will be interested to watch it.
However, with a career spanning over six decades, it feels like a lot of ground wasn't covered, and many rocks remained untouched. Perhaps the film wouldn't have been that different if it were a three-hour film, but in a biopic, it's not only about the conclusion but also about the journey.
For instance, there's a thorough exposition about his early life and his rise to fame, trying to lay a foundation for repeating themes in his life, like the relationship with his dad and his need to rebound again and again after listening to the wrong people. But we never deep dive into what really happened there.
All the interviews were done separately, and I think having Stallone and Talia Shire in the same room, speaking about their on-screen and maybe off-screen relationship, bringing up memories from 50 years ago and so on, could have brought much more significance and depth to this documentary.
The movie rushes over the late '80s part of his career, and besides "Rocky V," the '90s and early '00s are ignored. There's no word about "Creed" nor the '00s and the '10s. Stallone, unlike his on-screen persona, is a very articulate person. However, it is disappointing that Netflix, Thom Zimny, the director, or Stallone himself decided to commemorate Stallone's selected cinematic legacy over making a brave decision to ask more difficult questions.
Another blame is on Netflix, which has the means but prefers to play it safe when it comes to documentaries. I guess nobody wants to upset an actor or producer and ruin a potential collaboration in the future. That's one of the main reasons why cinema is still superior to streaming. It's not about the size of the screen or your sound system; it's about being able to tell a story without being chained to multiple business considerations that hold you back from punching hard at your subject and telling the best story.
An independent documentary production about the 1987 film "Robocop" was released earlier this year. It's a five-hour mini-series about one sci-fi movie. It sounds like a lot, but it's fascinating. At this time and day, where we are finally starting to summarize and bid farewell to the '70s and '80s generation of stars, I believe that certain biopic documentaries deserve a longer format, taking advantage of every living persona who is still out there and archiving in order to create a detailed and complete portrait of someone who was part of a generational pantheon.
Stallone mentions over and over again in the movie how our lifetime flies in a blink of an eye. He should also have in mind that no life story is perfect, and for those who choose fame and the public eye, life is even more complicated, full of obstacles, temptations, ego, and rivalries. Our failures go hand in hand with our triumphs, and that's what makes us human and interesting.
I hope Stallone will be able to open up again in the future. I will be interested to watch it.