Kevin Bourne says William Goldeberg’s directorial debut “transcends sports, gender, and culture” in his Unstoppable film review.
Rudy. A League Of Their Own. The Blind Side. Everyone loves a good sports movie where the unexpected hero defies seemingly insurmountable odds to come out on top. Well, most of us do. Following in that lineage is a new addition to the sports movie genre—Unstoppable, which recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity and starring Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, and Don Cheadle, Unstoppable follows the real life story of Anthony Robles who, despite being both with only one leg, won the 2011 NCAA Division 1 wrestling national championship in the 125-pound weight class. Standing in his way are the stigma around his disability, a complicated and sometimes emotionally abusive relationship with his step-father, financial troubles at home, and an underfunded college wrestling program which is in jeopardy of being cut.
While there have been many sports movies before, this one is different. We haven’t seen a sports film where the lead character has to overcome a physical disability in the form of missing a limb while competing with able-bodied competitors. We’ve seen characters overcome being women in a male dominated sport. We’ve seen characters overcome being shorter than their counterparts. We’ve seen characters defy age. But not this. This is a first.
The film marks the directorial debut of Oscar-winning editor turned director, William Goldenberg who did a great job of telling this physically grueling, emotional, and sometimes fast-paced story.
When it comes to the performances, Jerome, who is no stranger to playing real life characters, more than holds his own along seasoned vets Lopez, Carnavale, and Cheadle. Over his career so far, he has shown an ability to act with his eyes and facial expressions, communicating emotion without having to say a word, and he does so again in this film, while still providing viewers with raw emotion.
Bobby Cannavale, who has shown over his career that he’s more than capable of portraying convincing asshole characters, shines as the emotionally unattached and abusive father and husband, Rich.
Jennifer Lopez and Don Cheadle also deliver pretty good performances as Judy Robles and Coach Sean Charles, but by the end of the film, viewers may be left with the feeling that they could’ve given a just bit more to their roles. With Anthony being the principal character of the story, the memorable performances start and end with Jharrel Jerome.
But if you’re a fan of sports movies, it’s still a film to add to your watch list. It oozes inspiration and Jerome’s performance is so strong that if you’re a fan of a good story about overcoming the odds, it will leave you charged up and motivated. Anyone who has faced seemingly insurmountable odds, or is in the middle of it, can draw inspiration from this story.
In the end, Unstoppable is a universal and inspirational story that transcends sports, gender, and culture.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s Toronto-based editor and Senior Entertainment Reporter focusing on Black music and film & TV. He was named one of 300 international voters for the 81st and 82nd Golden Globe Awards by the Golden Globe Foundation and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
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