The Pretender | Becoming Rocky Balboa | Life as a Rocky Look-Alike

The Pretender is one of those films that can quietly capture your heart and, if you let it, take a small piece of who you are with it. This is a short review.

About seven years ago, a friend of mine, Jim Toscano, reached out to me to share news of a documentary he had been working on titled The Pretender. Alongside his videographer and editor, Danny Gianino, Jim had spent a couple of years shaping the film and was preparing to release it to the public. In the final days before publication, he invited a small group of people to watch the film and provide notes. I was fortunate to be one of them.

The film opens with Mike Kunda as he prepares for a Rocky impersonation night. Watching him slip into the cadence, posture, and voice of Rocky Balboa, originally portrayed by Sylvester Stallone, struck a deeply familiar chord. As a kid, I wanted to be Rocky, too. I trained, shadowboxed, put on the gear, and imagined myself as the hero of my own story. The difference is that Mike carried that childhood dream into adulthood and chose to live it out publicly.

Over the course of fifty-five minutes, The Pretender unfolds Mike’s life story and reveals why he found refuge in the identity of Rocky Balboa. As a child, he was bullied. In his professional life, he struggled to connect. There is a lingering sense that he often felt isolated from the world around him. Yet when he steps into this character, something shifts. Through Rocky, Mike connects with people. That emotional logic made complete sense to me. His struggles were struggles I recognized.

Jim Toscano and Danny Gianino do an excellent job of weaving interviews with observational moments from Mike’s life. As an editor myself, having cut my share of full-length documentaries, I understand how difficult it can be to balance forward momentum while also honoring the depth of previously shot material. The film finds that balance. Paired with original music that subtly echoes the thematic spirit of the Rocky films, the experience becomes immersive and surprisingly easy to get lost in.

If you have time on a Saturday night, I highly recommend watching it. The Pretender is currently available on YouTube under Gravitas Documentaries, and it is well worth your time.

Doc This Reviews gives it an 8.1 out of 10.

Plot: When Mike Kunda saw the movie Rocky at age eleven, his life was changed forever. What began as simple fandom became an obsession, one that forty years later continues to shape his identity in ways he could never have imagined.

Directed by Jim Toscano

Characters: Starring Mike Kunda, Sue Kunda, and Mike Kunda Sr.