Sly - Film Review

The way Sylvester Stallone speaks is iconic. Something went wrong during his birth and a small part of his face became paralyzed, which would permanently hinder his articulation. But it turns out: the actor appears to lower his voice slightly in films to appear tough, and when he speaks with his real, higher voice he is a lot more intelligible!

This documentary about the famous actor starts with the background of his parents and his family lives, but soon focuses on his career in Hollywood (which is broader than just acting). Stallone himself looks back on his successes and missteps, but also listens to a recording of an old interview. It ends with its Expendables franchise.

His leading role in a sex film when he was still unknown is skipped. Strange, because when it comes to his emotions the man does not mince his words. That is very beautiful and strong, because while his mother was not a sweetheart - she is still alive and has been so plastically remodeled that she can barely pronounce her own name - his father was a violent tyrant who left behind many scars. Mainly emotional.

It seems that Stallone has been trying to prove himself to his father for a long time. Due to his appearance and voice, he was not offered leading roles. For the same reason, he is not seen as particularly clever; he is certainly not a member of Mensa, but Sylvester Stallone is a gifted writer. To give himself a leading role, he wrote Rocky , and that script won an Oscar.

From that point on the film focuses almost exclusively on his film work. Rocky was a great success, but it also came with the usual criticism. But he continued to prove himself. He co-wrote the book adaptation of First Blood , the first Rambo film, and it was (according to him) his idea to have the main character live, unlike in the book. Because otherwise it would create a very hopeless future for all those real veterans.

Every now and then some private matters come up. The most shocking is the polo match that he organized himself to play a game with his father, who out of jealousy hits his son on the back with the polo mallet. The death of Stallone's son also appears briefly as a mention, although it is not elaborated upon.

The floor is not just for the man himself. His brother and some people in the trade also contribute. It remains fun to see how Arnold Schwarzenegger, the man who once couldn't stand him and saw him as his biggest competitor, now speaks of him with so much justified praise and even notes that Stallone is more talented than himself because of his writing.

The documentary is of course wonderful for the fans, but seems to have been made for younger generations who are barely or not familiar with his work. The hits and flops come by at a rapid pace, and that's about it. In between there are sometimes images of a move, but this is not discussed and it is not even clear whether he is leaving his current home or has just moved in. As a result, this remains unnecessary padding.

Americans are quite into therapy (and there's nothing wrong with that), and celebrities are big fans of it. The way Stallone describes his feelings towards his father reveals many hours on the psychologist's couch. This documentary also shows how easily a parent can cause permanent damage: he now has a lot of peace, but it can never be forgotten. One thing is certain after seeing Sly : this son has been a better person than his father from the start.