Stallone: Frank, That Is, 2021
This documentary recounts the career of Frank Stallone, musician/actor and brother to Sylvester Stallone.
This film is okay, though I'm not entirely sure that the story it tells merits a feature length film.
The aspect of the film that most grabs you is the empathy you feel for Frank Stallone as his career ends up inextricably intertwined with that of his Hollywood star brother. With candor from Stallone and the other interviewees, we really come to understand that standing in the shadows of a more successful sibling can be both a blessing and a curse. Stallone is given many opportunities because of his connection to his older brother. But even as that connection gives him access to movie sets and talk shows, there is something painful about knowing that he is being booked for interviews or to star in B-action movies because of his name.
"They hired me because they couldn't get Sylvester," Frank shrugs, speaking of his roles in films like
Terror of Beverly Hills. He is neither joyous about it nor overly bitter. For the most part it seems as if he has taken the opportunities presented to him and tried to leverage them as best he can to advance his own career passion, his music. You feel how entirely bittersweet it must be to live in a world where you have name recognition, but not because of something you did.
On the other hand, the film often seems to work a bit too hard to convince us how great Frank is. And don't get me wrong, I am fine with believing the various testimonials from the people being interviewed that he is a talented musician and an engaging live performer. But there often seems to be a defensive edge to the movie, as if it is straining to prove that Frank would have been a star even without his brother's success. And, I mean, maybe? But it is hard to say and there's just no getting around the fact that some key aspects of Frank's career came about directly because of his family connection.
There's also something, um, very
same-y about the interview subjects. They are all white men in their 50s or 60s. And while I don't have a problem with people in a documentary being demographically similar (because I'm sure these are his friends and the people in his life), there's this strange sense that "the guys" got together to make this movie about their friend. The film lacks, in my opinion, the needed voice of a more objective, outside authority.
An interesting look at life in the shadow of someone famous, but I wish it had been willing to ask harder questions.