The Family Stallone review – what the hell is going on with this bizarre editing of Sly’s life?

It’s been a long time since reality TV was a truly embarrassing thing to appear on. Ever since the 1988 writers’ strike, when the genre was introduced to fill gaps in schedules, it has been popular with viewers. Plus, the Apprentice host managed to become the US president, and there have been reality shows starring bona fide movie stars such as Clint Eastwood and Mark Wahlberg. So The Family Stallone, Sylvester Stallone’s brazen attempt to turn his kids into reality stars, may come across as a little thirsty, but it doesn’t feel like an egregious betrayal of his Hollywood legacy.

We are introduced to him on the set of Tulsa King, the crime drama he has been filming in Oklahoma for the past six months. We see him return to his stunning Hidden Hills estate in LA and his wife of 25 years, Jennifer Flavin – though they frequently remind us that they first fell in love 35 years prior. A quick bit of maths reveals that she was about 19 and he was 41, but hey ho, it was the 80s. Also waiting for him are their three gorgeous daughters: it is not clear if they live there or have jobs or ambitions beyond being Sly’s offspring, but in the two episodes provided for review, being his daughter looks pretty fun.

Sly himself is reality TV gold. He has classic movie star charisma, plays into his own mythology with myriad references to Rambo and Rocky, and gathers up pals Al Pacino and Dolph Lundgren to add to the Hollywood glamour of it all. He’s eccentric, quick-witted and delightful in every scene or confessional. But there is also the added unintentional humour that the confessionals have been staged to make him look as youthful as possible, with a soft-focus lens that is less convincing than the average TikTok filter.

We hear how Sly proudly raised his daughters as if they were training