Unstoppable is a schmaltzy sports drama with its heart in the right place

There’s no shortage of true-life inspirational stories from the world of sports, and Unstoppable is ready to step into the ring (via a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival).

It follows Anthony Robles (Moonlight’s Jharrel Jerome), a wrestler born with one leg. Robles, who excels at the high school championships, has big dreams, including hopes for a scholarship to wrestling powerhouse University of Iowa. But Anthony faces steep competition and a fair amount of prejudice over his disability. Still, he’ll stop at nothing to chase his goal of becoming an NCAA national champion.

Iowa passes on Anthony, and he passed on a full-ride offer from Drexel to attend Arizona State University as a walk-on to be nearby to help his amazingly supportive mother, Judy (Jennifer Lopez), and four younger siblings after her abusive partner, Rick (Bobby Cannavale) abandons them. At Arizona, Anthony works with coach Shawn Charles (Don Cheadle) who gradually learns the full scope of his character and extraordinary commitment.

But as wonderful and unique as Robles' story is, Unstoppable is a rote drama that plays it consistently too safe. Produced by Artists Equity, which also made last year’s fabulous Air,  Unstoppable feels less like a major feature film and more akin to a Disney Channel original movie from the early aughts (which is no knock on those films; they're great, but it’s not exactly the type of movie that premieres at a major fall festival).

Robles’s story is incredibly inspirational on its own merits, and Jerome is solid, particularly nailing the physical demands of the role and the taxing sequences where Anthony fights to prove himself. But the film focuses quite heavily on his challenging home situation to its own detriment.

There’s no doubt his mom was integral to his success and that the two share a rare and special bond. But Lopez tends toward histrionics in the role (her celebrity star power makes it difficult to buy her as a working-class mom). She overacts many of her scenes, lacking the breezy and winning naturalism of her rom-com era as well as the scintillating swagger of Hustlers. 

She often faces off against Rick, who is a cookie-cutter male chauvinist pig, complete with speeches about what it truly means to be a man and a broken record of claims about how he provides for his family (spoiler alert: he does not). Cannavale could play this kind of role in his sleep by now, and he basically does, not really bestowing any nuance upon the guy.

The film is the most lively and engaging when it’s focused on Anthony’s time with his team and coaches, both Coach Charles and his high school coach, Bobby Williams (Michael Peña). There, the heart of the story beats strongest. Peña is excellent as a warm father figure while Cheadle plays a skeptic turned believer with a winning blend of charisma and intelligence. Watching Anthony win him over, at one point even bringing Coach Charles to tears, is where Unstoppable really works.

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The movie is well made and it’s a lovely celebration of a real-life hero. But the whole thing feels very predictable, which amounts to a general sense of mediocrity. There’s a problem when the most moving part of a film is its closing title cards, which update the audience on the lives of Anthony and Judy (personally, I want to see the movie where Judy raises five kids as a single mom and eventually becomes the dean of a university). 

There’s just not much here to write home about — audiences are likely to remember Robles and his story, but the movie itself is bland and forgettable. Grade: B-