Reviews

There’s nothing like an sporting underdog story to leave you feeling uplifted and inspired.

Unstoppable is no exception – the biographical sports drama tells the story of wrestler Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), who was born without one leg.

He has to fight to make the cut at Arizona State University (ASU) and work harder than everyone else to rise to the top of the collegiate championships.

This film is conventional and predictable and the sports element doesn’t offer us anything particularly new. What makes Unstoppable unique is that is also dedicates a lot of time to Jerome’s home life and his strong bond with his mother Judy (Jennifer Lopez).

As her eldest child, Anthony helps Judy navigate her abusive marriage to his stepfather Rick (Bobby Cannavale) and makes sacrifices for her and his stepsiblings.

Although some of the wrestling matches (the non-WWE kind, to be clear) are exciting, it was more interesting seeing Anthony’s training, his relationship with his teammates and his coach Sean Charles (Don Cheadle) and his domestic situation.

Jerome deserves awards buzz for his performance in this movie. The real Anthony was his body double and stunt double but he still had the huge physical undertaking of pretending like he had one leg instead of two.

That is difficult to master and he pulled off that physicality effortlessly, all while giving us an intense dramatic performance.

While he is the main subject of the film, Judy has more screen time and a bigger presence than you might expect. This is a demanding emotional role – Judy carries a lot of stress and responsibility. Lopez may not be perfect but this is her best work since Hustlers.

Unstoppable doesn’t reinvent the wheel of underdog sports dramas but you should still check out this inspirational film and witness Jerome’s impressive physical transformation.

In limited cinemas from Friday 6th December and Prime Video from Friday 16th January

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