‘Unstoppable’ Review: Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez in the Rare Sports Crowd-Pleaser You Can Believe In
variety.comOwen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic A middlebrow triumph-against-the-odds sports crowd-pleaser can be a beautiful thing — that is, if it doesn’t pander and lose itself in clichés, and if it has as much respect for reality as it does for getting an inspirational rise out of you. “Unstoppable,” a wrestling drama based on the life of the college champion Anthony Robles, is an honest and stirring entry in the genre, with genuine commercial potential.
It has plenty of familiar tropes, but in its no-frills way it touches a nerve of authenticity. The true story it tells is nothing short of extraordinary, and that may be why the filmmakers didn’t feel the need to overhype it.
In the opening scene, we’re at the High School Nationals in Philadelphia in 2006. Anthony, a senior from Mesa, Ariz., played by the superb Jharrel Jerome (who was Chiron’s love interest in the second segment of “Moonlight” and took over voicing the role of Miles Morales in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), is getting ready to compete in the championship match.
The first thing you notice about him is the first thing that everyone notices: He has only one leg (his left one). A wrestling spectator asks, in all seriousness, whether this is a charity competition.
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