Unstoppable, 2024.
Directed by William Goldenberg.
Starring Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Chimechi Oparanozie, Parker Sack, Jordan Wallace, Benjamin Barrett, Corey Jantzen, Shawn Hatosy, Alex Barone, Mykelti Williamson, Julianna Gamiz, Carlos Solórzano, Johnni DiJulius, Noen Perez, Timothy Hornor, Juan Magana, Elijah James, Corey Jantzen, and Jesse Jantzen.
SYNOPSIS:
Centers around the life of wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and won a national championship in 2011 while competing at Arizona State University.
Elevated by an impressive ensemble convincingly playing the clichéd material, Unstoppable is as generic an inspirational sports drama as that title would suggest. It follows the college wrestling career of one-legged Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), determined to make his mark on the scene and prove to the world that he is defined by something other than his disability. This is undeniably an inspirational story, but one could also argue that a sentimental take on an athlete with one leg doing ANYTHING is basically a cheat code to pull on the heartstrings. Such are the frustrations that have plagued disability cinema, including the films that get this type of story right.
Coming from editor turned first-time director William Goldenberg (working from a screenplay by Eric Champnella, John Hindman, and Alex Harris, obviously based on the real life of Anthony Robles), that story is also told unwieldy. There is a legitimate reason to focus on Anthony’s broken home, which amounts to financial instability, and dealing with a nasty stepfather (Bobby Cannavale) who is emotionally and physically abusive to his mother, Judy (Jennifer Lopez in a role that, judging by her musical documentary earlier in the year and openness about past rough relationships, is likely personal to her) while trying to shield his stepsiblings from that dysfunctional turmoil.
During one of the more tense and psychological scenes, the despicable stepfather watches his son (whom he blatantly doesn’t consider his) at a crucial match that will determine his fate when it comes to joining the Arizona State University Sun Devils wrestling team. It’s clear that Anthony’s most formidable enemy will never be his opponent but rather the baggage he allows to remain inside his head. Perhaps the real Rick was just as evil of a stepfather, but there’s no shaking that the presentation has been embellished, complete with brief flashbacks to telling a young Anthony that he should be lucky he is being taken care of since he is not one of his own. Similarly, the drama between him and Judy plays the usual beats, but Bobby Cannavale is so believable as this slimy, cruel person that it’s easy to overlook some of the flaws and the awkwardly placed flash-forwards in school years.
The real problem with this is that this takes away from Anthony’s journey, which includes finding acceptance as a walk-on among a team of able-bodied wrestlers and the genuinely moving bonding between him and his sage-like coach, Shawn Charles (Don Cheadle.) Likewise, Michael Peña has some solid scenes advising Anthony’s high school coach. However, much of this feels flattened into training montages (I suppose that is mildly appropriate, given Anthony looks up to Rocky Balboa), platitudes, and wise speeches. There’s a part where the entire team decides they aren’t going to stick around if Anthony loses his spot, except there isn’t much connection depicted between them, so it comes across as an extreme showing of solidarity.
In one thankfully short stretch, the film threatens to switch perspectives entirely to follow Judy around battling a corrupt bank unjustly trying to take away their home. Maybe Jennifer Lopez has a screen time clause. The point is that there is so much about Anthony, his friendships, and his wrestling journey that could have been explored in deeper detail. Even his final opponent is the typical climactic big match against a villainous, one-dimensional personality. There is one terrific small moment where Coach Shawn cuts down some of Iowa’s toxic masculinity slogans, emphatically declaring that it shouldn’t be an athlete’s mentality. His more leveled wisdom also comes across as a perfect juxtaposition to that. By this point, the clichés have already been piled on each other, toppling the house of cards.
Unstoppable could have been an eye-opening portrait of a disabled athlete competing in able-bodied spaces, and to be fair, the few and far-between wrestling sequences authentically capture the endurance, technicality, and physicality required to win, standing out as the most engaging scenes. Instead, the approach is a familiar underdog sports story prioritizing inspiration and overcooked drama rather than insight or characterization. In trying to depict several aspects of Anthony’s life, the storytelling becomes broad, and there is an overreliance on tired clichés. Jharrel Jerome is determined, fierce, and resilient, delivering an outstanding physical performance as much as an emotional one, and almost single-handedly overcomes those flaws.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
