I Play Rocky with Mike Sielski

We have partnered with our friends at the Doylestown Bookshop to bring Author Mike Sielski to the theater to introduce our screening of I PLAY ROCKY on December 3rd and to host a post screening discussion on his new book Going the Distance, the definitive account making of the iconic 1976 film ROCKY. Veteran Broadcaster Host Rob Ellis will lead the conversation. Copies of his new book will be available for purchase in the lobby before or after the show.

Before he ascended the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and became a cinematic icon, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling young actor with an unlikely dream. I PLAY ROCKY chronicles his relentless determination to bring his underdog screenplay to life, risking everything for the chance to portray Rocky Balboa. This heartfelt biographical drama stars newcomer Anthony Ippolito as the would-be Italian Stallion, alongside Stephan James, AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, and Tracy Letts. More than a behind-the-scenes portrait of one of cinema’s most beloved sports films, I PLAY ROCKY is a moving tribute to perseverance and ambition.

Mike Sielski is the author of five books, including the international bestseller The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality. A co-host on WIP 94.1 FM, he has been a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer since 2013 and was formerly a reporter at The Wall Street Journal. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing and The Year’s Best Sports Writing, and over his career he has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting, the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, and the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He lives in Doylestown with his wife, Kate, and their sons, Evan and Gabe.

About the Book: The remarkable behind-the-scenes story of the making of a timeless and beloved piece of American pop culture ...The greatest underdog story in movie history celebrates its golden anniversary in 2026. 

Rocky turns 50, and in Going the Distance, Mike Sielski delivers the definitive account of the film’s creation, the factors that drove Sylvester Stallone to write and star in it, and its everlasting emotional connection to Philadelphia and to people around the world.

Armed with intimate knowledge of Philadelphia’s texture, culture, and history, Sielski traces how and why Rocky came to be made and reveals fresh details and anecdotes that will surprise even the film's biggest fans. Through extensive research and exclusive insights from some of the movie's legendary collaborators — including Stallone, producer Irwin Winkler, and composer Bill Conti — Sielski tells Rocky’s story in a completely new way, showing Stallone’s rise from an aimless kid to an ambitious artist, one who was willing to do whatever he had to do to succeed in Hollywood.

Going the Distance is the unfiltered origin story behind one of the most inspirational films of all time. This is more than a book about a movie. It’s a love letter to a great American city — and a dramatic, fascinating ride all its own.

Director Peter Farrelly

Cast Anthony Ippolito, Stephan James, AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon, Tracy Letts

Country USA

Language English

Aspect 2.39

More info on IMDB ››