Movie review: 'Unstoppable' beset with movie cliches

Anthony Robles is an inspiring real-life figure. Unfortunately, not all historically-based sports dramas turn out as well as Rudy and A League of Their Own, so Unstoppable, in theaters now, cannot overcome the cliches to do his story justice.

In this real-life story, Anthony (Jharrel Jerome) was born without a right leg. He is introduced as he competes in a high school wrestling match during which he makes some spectators eat their words after they had mocked him.

In his senior year of high school, he dreams of going to Iowa State to join its wrestling team which has produced the most college champions.

Iowa State does not accept him, and Anthony rejects a full scholarship from Drexel to attend Arizona State, paying part of his own way just to be a walk-on for a more competitive team.

Any biographical movie necessarily has to condense and consolidate the complexities of a life to fit into two hours. The machinations of Unstoppable seem distractingly intent on creating feel-good, redemptive moments that obscure the real story.

Anthony's mother, Judy (Jennifer Lopez), supports him unwaveringly, but his stepfather, Rick (Bobby Cannavale), thinks Anthony should take the Drexel offer and continues to provoke him.

Anthony's stepfather is an important figure to overcome, but Rick is written one-dimensionally, though performed accurately. It's obvious Rick's aggressive parenting is masking insecurity before the film reveals he is indeed abusive and delinquent.

Director William Goldenberg and cinematographer Salvatore Totino film scenes in the Robles home handheld, unable to hold still for no reason. It is a superficial way to assign tension to scenes that should be tense enough, but this parlor trick only highlights their shortcomings.

It should be noted that ASU training and wrestling scenes are filmed more gracefully and are stronger for it.

Judy points out a gangster neighbor with whom she warns Anthony should not to get involved. Were that character to ever appear again in the film, he could be a subplot, but as such he is stereotypical shorthand for the criminal temptations of Anthony's neighborhood.

ASU coach Sean Charles (Don Cheadle) and his teammates challenge Anthony to keep up with the regimen the wrestling team endures. The film depicts him participating in rigorous exercises, often coming up with inventive solutions to compensate for his crutches.

Whether the most intense training scenes depicted were actually part of ASU curriculum, they are geared toward the Rocky moments of proving the skeptics wrong. In fact, when competing in Philadelphia, Anthony visits the art museum steps shown in Rocky and has a Rocky poster in his room, just in case that connection wasn't obvious.

One of Anthony's younger brothers says he prays to have one leg so he can be like his brother. It was already clear Anthony was an inspiration without treacly sentiment.

Budget cuts force Anthony's teammates to make a collective decision like the one Rudy Ruettiger's team made in Rudy. Perhaps ASU really did cut the wrestling budget that year, but at least Rudy built it up for the entire movie. Here, it's just one more thing dumped on Anthony.

The biggest issue with Unstoppable is simply that there is not enough wrestling. When it shows Anthony competing, he has real grace.

That is also the work of the real Robles, doubling for Jharrell when seen from behind. The film highlights Anthony's junior year match and senior year rematch with the same opponent, which seem to come out of nowhere after long stretches of administrative and family issues.

All of the sports cliches from movies and real-life athletics are present. The toughest opponent Anthony faces is himself and what he has is more powerful than what he lacks.

The cast commits to sincere portrayals of real-life subjects. The film's greatest accomplishment could simply be encouraging viewers to look into the real Robles story.

Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.