LONDON: It is easy to forget that, sometimes, all you want from a movie is a healthy dose of good vibes — and few genres are better suited to that than the sports biopic.
The film “Unstoppable” tells the real-life story of Anthony Robles, an American wrestler who won the 125-pound (57 kg) US National college wrestling championship in 2011 despite being born with one leg.
Directed by William Goldenberg (a storied screenwriter and editor, making his directorial debut here), “Unstoppable” stars Jharrel Jerome (“Moonlight,” “When They See Us”) as Robles, with Jennifer Lopez as his mother Judy and Bobby Cannavale as his stepfather Rick.
‘Unstoppable’ is directed by William Goldenber. (Supplied)
Already a talented high-school wrestler, Robles misses out on his dream college scholarship, but opts instead to pay to attend Arizona State University and win a place on their feted wrestling team.
Despite dealing with Rick’s abusive behavior at home, Robles continues to win over his teammates. And, backed by his mom’s unending belief, and that of his high-school coach (played by Michael Pena), he proves himself not only worthy of his spot, but an athlete capable of performing on the national stage.
Here is the thing with sports movies (or the good ones, at least), you have to really lean into every single cliche and embrace all the heartstring-plucking tropes. Because, if you do — and if the film has a decent cast doing an earnest job — the payoff is worth it.
And so it is with “Unstoppable,” a movie that is as determined as its real-world protagonist. Sure, there are a few story beats that get teased and then dropped. Sure, the by-the-numbers buildup to the climactic showdown is beyond predictable.
But this movie has a stellar lead performance from Jerome (helped by absolutely seamless effects and stunt work, which sees Robles himself performing some of the wrestling sequences), and an immensely talented supporting cast.
Lopez, Cannavale and Pena are all great, but Don Cheadle also deserves his share of the plaudits for his turn as Robles’ college coach and mentor.
Is this the most sophisticated exploration of the world of collegiate wrestling? Nah. But is it a heartwarmingly decent movie that will make you feel good? Absolutely.
