The Steps by Sylvester Stallone review – the inside story of Rocky
The star takes us back to 70s New York to recount his breakthrough, and it’s a great yarn – but it’s laced with anger The Philadelphia Museum of Art contains a 14th-century Buddhist temple, a one-acre sculpture garden and works by Picasso, Renoir and Van Gogh. Its most famous attraction, however, is a flight of stone steps that draws several million tourists every year. These are the so-called “Rocky Steps”…
Key points
- The Steps is Sylvester Stallone's memoir about writing and starring in the 1976 film Rocky.
- Stallone wrote the first draft in three days while nearly broke and insisted on playing the lead.
- Rocky cost $900,000 to make and earned $225m, but a former United Artists executive disputed Stallone's account.
The Steps by Sylvester Stallone is a memoir about the making of his 1976 film Rocky. The book recounts his rags-to-riches breakthrough, describing how he wrote the screenplay while flat broke and went on to star in the movie. It presents Stallone and his character Rocky Balboa as almost inseparable, each an extension of the other.
The memoir also offers life advice such as believing in yourself and never giving up. It reads, the review says, like a self-help manual in which Stallone casts himself as guide and guru.
From struggle to success
Stallone was down to his last $80 and expecting his first child when he wrote the first draft of Rocky in three days. Producers offered him a fortune for the script, but he insisted on playing the lead. The film was made for $900,000 and went on to earn $225m.
The review describes the memoir as an entertaining yarn that wraps up as the film storms the Oscars. It notes that the messaging can be cheesy and some stories feel fishy, but says Stallone spins a good tale.
If they'd been sweet and loving, like parents you see in a TV show, would I even be here?
— Sylvester Stallone
Anger beneath the surface
The review says Stallone presents himself as a sweet innocent but that anger burns on every page. He resents snobs who write him off and executives who give him scraps. Francis Ford Coppola made him wait hours to audition, and Richard Gere dripped chicken grease on his trousers.
Stallone also writes about hating his parents, who never wanted him. He asks whether he would even be where he is if they had been sweet and loving like parents on a TV show.
Disputed account
The review says Stallone's early struggles are well documented and largely verified. But it notes that some see his origin tale about making Rocky as a foundational myth, heavily salted and spun. Gabe Sumner, United Artists' former marketing boss, said in 2006 that the press feeds on the underdog story and called Stallone's claim that he faced down the studio "horseshit", part of a marketing campaign before the Oscars.
