The film “Sly” has faced criticism for being overly flattering towards its star. In a review for The Guardian, Charles Bramesco criticized the film as being one big puff piece and called out the director, Zimny, for his excessive praise of Stallone. The film skims over Stallone’s cinematic failures, such as “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot,” and lacks truly negative opinions from those interviewed.
Zimny defended himself, stating that he was not pressured to flatter Stallone. He claimed that Stallone never gave him any feedback and instead gave him the freedom to improve the film. The documentary even shows Stallone as a frequent script-changer and tinkerer, though Zimny insisted that he did not experience that desire for control during the filmmaking process.
Pete Nicks, director of the Apple TV+ film “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” discussed the challenge of portraying authenticity in documentaries about celebrities, who often have teams of representatives. Nicks revealed that he had creative disagreements with Curry’s production company, Unanimous, and argued for a more organic approach to the interviews included in the film.
Despite the challenges, it’s clear that “Underrated” paints Curry in a largely positive light, emphasizing his triumphs and downplaying any doubts or setbacks. The film has been called out for mythologizing Curry’s underdog status, especially given his unanimous vote for the M.V.P. Award in the N.B.A., as pointed out by Jennifer Wilson in The New Republic.