Review: In ‘Unstoppable,’ an inspirational, if formulaic sports drama about a wrestler with one leg

Anthony Robles’ story seems almost tailor made for a Hollywood film. Born with only one leg, his right, he overcame the prejudices of those around him and his own physical limitations to become a champion wrestler. Though coaches at the top wrestling programs couldn’t see his potential, he was undeterred, coasting on his own determination and his mother Judy’s unwavering belief in him.
The film version is aptly titled “Unstoppable,” and it’s getting a limited theatrical release starting Friday before it streams on Prime Video on Jan. 16. Directed by William Goldenberg, the Oscar-winning editor of “Argo” making his feature directorial debut, “Unstoppable” has all the makings of a rousing sports drama that’s sure to have audiences cheering in theaters or on their couches. You’d have to be a certain kind of grinch not to get swept up in the hurdles and triumphs, especially with such a compelling lead performance from Jharrel Jerome. And yet for a story about a guy who shattered expectations, the film itself is rather conventional.
Eschewing the temptation to tell his story from birth, “Unstoppable’s” arc begins at the end of high school. He chose long ago to not rely on a prosthetic and is comfortable in his body. His sport is wrestling, which he’ll joke later that he chose because it was the only one where the other guy couldn’t run away from him.
Though he’s winning at the high school level, the exciting college programs, like Iowa, are not interested in taking a chance on him. His best offer is a full ride at Drexel in Philadelphia, which everyone agrees is better than walking on at one of the better-known schools. But complications on the home front force his hand and soon enough he’s walking on at Arizona State University, trying to prove himself to a coach, Sean Charles , who had already advised him to go elsewhere.
Mom as eldest son’s biggest cheerleader isn’t, but Judy has a lot going on. She had Anthony at age 16 and, when we meet up with them, is married and has four young children with Rick , a toxic husband and father who goes long on the virtues of making the right choices and being a man and providing for his family . It’s a very one-note role for Cannavale, just a shorthand villain who’s always just around the corner ready to ruin things, whether it’s dinner or Anthony’s plans to move across the country.
Regardless of how much this is true, “Unstoppable” relies too heavily on the cliches of a working-class domestic drama and Rick’s vileness which perhaps is a little insulting to Judy’s experience. This is a woman who managed to achieve incredible things despite being a single mother to five. While Lopez is magnetic as always, it’s hard not to wonder what this character might have looked like if one of the three credited screenwriters had been a woman. Judy does get her own arc and demonstrates her agency in a mic drop kind of scene, but it seems like a rather small moment to concentrate on once you’ve learned what she went on to accomplish.
The film is really best when it’s about the sport, the impossible training including a run up a rocky hill that Anthony does on his crutches, the matches, and Anthony’s relationships with his coaches who become de facto father figures for him. Michael Peña, as his high school coach, is particularly impactful in his limited scenes, and Cheadle is always a joy. But it’s ultimately Jerome’s show, and a good one at that. Let’s hope it’s the first of many leading film roles for him.
“Unstoppable,” an Amazon MGM Studios release in select theaters Friday and streaming on Prime Video on Jan. 16, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for “some strong language and thematic material.” Running time: 116 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
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