Stallone: Frank, That Is

I've always been a fan of Frank Stallone. Yes, he would not be anywhere if it wasn't for his brother. He was going nowhere when his brother put him in movies like the Rockys and Paradise Alley. But that doesn't mean he's not talented.

Honestly, if you see movies like Barfly and Tombstone, he's a very talented actor and should have had a much better acting career than he did. He's mostly done crappy straight to video type movies that no one has seen and that's too bad. There's no reason why he shouldn't have had parts in big budget real movies.

He is talented as a singer and his stuff on Rockys 1 & 2 are great. He had one hit, from Staying Alive. But let's not go overboard, his IMDB profile claims "Frank has garnered three Platinum Albums, ten Gold Albums and five Gold Singles" which isn't remotely true. Thing about the IMDB is you can put up anything on your profile and there is no checker to say "no, that didn't happen."

In the documentary we have all this stuff about his band "Valentine" finally reuniting, like this is some big band we've all been waiting to reunite when in reality the only people who care about this are the three band members. And don't get me wrong, Frank is a talented singer but all his successes singing are as a result of stuff his brother helped out. He had no big record that wasn't part of a Sly Stallone movie. The other thing I have a problem with is Frank is a producer of this documentary. Who produces a documentary about themself? It's like you're making a commercial about yourself.

Now the thing about this doc which is great, besides the fact it does have a lot of great talent in it - is the pace of this thing. This is how you make a compelling documentary. It moves. Super fast. There's no fat, coming in a 112 minutes. And that's good. I really enjoyed this. I think Frank IS a talent guy as a singer and actor. I'd like to see him get a good part in a real movie and have more success as an actor. He deserves it.

The surname "Stallone" is synonymous with show business, but of course that is because Sylvester made it famous after becoming Rocky, Rambo, and generally the biggest action star of the 1980s/90s. What few people may know (or know only derisively), however, is that Sly has a brother--Frank--who is a very talented individual in his own right. "Stallone: Frank, That Is" tells his story.

This documentary looks at Frank Stallone's ascent in the music business, constantly battling adversity but maintaining a never-say-die attitude and an incredible talent for showmanship. Completely divorced from any Sly-related doings, Frank is a legitimate singer/showman who can perform nearly any genre of music, from country to show tunes and everything in between. He is perhaps best known for providing a large portion of the soundtrack to "Staying Alive", the sequel to "Saturday Night Fever".

Of course, a major theme throughout the doc is how Frank must exist in the shadow of his older brother Sly. Ultimately, the brothers seem to have a good relationship with each other and genuinely respect the other's career arc. While Frank's career was helped immensely by roles in Sly's "Rocky" franchise and the Sly-helmed "Staying Alive", it was also difficult to escape such lofty comparisons ("Rocky's brother performs" being a common bugaboo). Frank can very intelligently and compassionately speak to both sides of that equation.

Content-wise, "Frank, That Is" is a great retrospective of a quirky showbiz career. I wish the doc would have slowed down a bit from time to time to give the viewer a chance to reflect on certain events, but director Derek Wayne Johnson really takes a charge-ahead approach almost at all times. It mostly works, even if not in the upper echelon of showbiz docs I've seen.

Overall, though, this is a fun watch. You'll likely learn a few things, get to observe some hilarious (and poignant) interviews with Frank's celebrity friends/family, and probably be able to relate--at least in some capacity--to the themes of sibling rivalry and persistence in the face of strong adversity.

If you gonna watch this docu, you already know this ain't about Sly but about his brother. And why not, all his life the world saw him as 'the failed brother', and now you get the chance to see a docu about a talented man with the surplus of knowing how it feels to stand in the shadow of a world star actor.

The pace is a bit too fast in the beginning, it feels sometimes like a fast summation. But further I really enjoyed this documentary. Good entertainment with a touch of light drama.

I really enjoyed this & I didn't really expect to. He's not just the "other" Stallone. He's a gifted artist who just never caught the right break at the right moment. Although upbeat throughout, he (& others) shed a lot of light on Frank & some very emotionally difficult times, which seem to have expressed themselves in depressive episodes & mood swings. He's a committed, driven artist but also a renaissance man with a wide variety of interests. Truly a surprise of a film. The dynamic between the brothers might be my favorite part. So much shared family experience with a difficult father & an eccentric mother plus the usual complex sibling thing. Well worth watching.

Interesting documentary. Showed the pros and cons of having a mega star of a brother. Admired, how he plugged on, regardless of the setbacks. Shows the brutality and reality of the fame game in Hollywood and the music business. A great exposé, with some great input from other celebs.