One might think that as a reviewer and opinion columnist, I might take it bad when something comes along to show me that my opinion is miataken. Most of the time I appreciate knowing I am wrong and am happy to acknowledge that and adjust how I think and feel.
Case in point: How the Netflix documentary Sly, a look at the career of Sylvester Stallone, brought me to a greater understanding of and appreciation of who he is and his talents.
Don’t get me wrong in a few ways. I saw the film that made him a star, Rocky, when it came out in 1976, and while I wouldn’t call in a great work of cinema, it was an effective piece of filmmaking and a genuinely classic movie. Its emotional impact on me spoke to the power of its story. And how it became that year’s highest-grossing film as well as the second-highest the following year (beat out for the top spot by Star Wars). Plus maybe how it beat out other films that are considered great cinema like Taxi Driver and All the President’s Men for the Best Picture Oscar. It was not just a blockbuster but a cultural event,
I haven’t seen any of its sequels, but Stallone also should get some credit for helping to kickstart the now rampant sequels that Hollywood churns out (and not be blamed for what has become with film sequels). His other big action star franchise that started with Rambo was something that didn’t appeal to my sensibilities. I was, however, quite impressed by Stallone’s acting skills when he played against action hero type – or as “Rambo” more antihero – to great dramatic effect in 1997’s Copland.
But even if I already held Stallone in a certain level of esteem, Sly heightened it and enhanced my liking for him, understanding who he is, and admiration for what he achieved and – key factor here – how he has dealt with his success and fame. He narrates his own story in a way best described by my friend Ann Hornaday, chief film critic for the Washington Post as “startlingly candid, often heartbreaking, recollections about his rise and occasional falls. What emerges isn’t the superstar who turned Rocky and Rambo into American icons as much as a thoughtful, surprisingly self-aware artist, who happens to be much smarter, more sensitive and steeped in cinematic history than even his biggest fans might have known.”
We learn that he feels that Rocky isn’t a boxing movie but a love story, and take a deep dive into his determination in writing it and getting a Hollywood studio deal for the film as well as being its star to lift himself out of being typecast as an Italian-American mook playing secondary film roles. His dysfunctional family background and love for acting and film are what drove him to find success, and on his own terms. He explains how Rambo was not a vengeful and violent crusader but a veteran with severe PTSD, and that servicemen who fought in Vietnam are grateful that he created a character who shared the trauma many of them brought home with them.
What emerges from the film is an immensely likable guy with a mature wisdom and sense of humor about himself – interestingly, not unlike the portrait we get in the recent doc Arnold about Stallone’s fellow action film superstar Schwarzenegger. He comments on his former rival and now good friend in Sly, as Stallone did in Arnold.
A good documentary about a public figure should show us the human behind the image, and Sly does that wonderfully. It also shifted my sense of who Stallone is – another indication the doc has succeeded. Even if you’re not a fan of his films, you’ll likely come away from viewing it as I did with a changed sense about the man, and liking who he is.
eBook: “Joseph Goebbels: A Life from Beginning to End” – A very concise and well-written overview in the Amazon Kindle “Hourly History: series that hits the broad stokes in the life story of the Nazi propagandist. The part where Hitler seduces Goebbels to abandon his more mainstream political beliefs to become a top Nazi also illuminates current US political issues and give some big hints why people get pulled in by our contemporary authoritarians and fascists.
TV Documentary: “Christopher Plummer” – Another excellent doc about an actor, one who in this case forged a legacy of superior performances on stage and screen as well as a happy personal life. Warm and rich with thespian excellence and insights.
Rob Patterson is a music and entertainment writer in Austin, Texas. Email robpatterson054@gmail.com.
From The Progressive Populist, February 15, 2024
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