By Ed Piper
My wife and I had the privilege of being in a viewing party with a few La Jolla wrestlers and their parents for the 2024 movie, "Unstoppable". The movie, the story of Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and went on to win the NCAA championship his senior year at Arizona State at 122 pounds, is quite inspirational, as host Joe Pace, the father of 122-pounder Noah, said it would be.
Robles' mother, played convincingly by Jennifer Lopez, makes some bad choices and links up with an abusive mate who is not good for her children. You can "feel" an encounter between Anthony and this man, who is not his biological father, is eventually going to happen.
In our household, we often talk about the difference between a documentary and a feature film. So we don't know how close to the facts the film stays--often, a movie is introduced with the statement, "Inspired by..." That's when you know what you are going to view uses the core idea, but then freelances considerably to make an appealing box office hit.
"Unstoppable" claims to do more. For one, Anthony is an athlete who excels in high school wrestling and turns down a full ride to Drexel in Pittsburgh, choosing to stay near home in Mesa, Arizona and attend ASU as a walk-on.
In gripping scenes, with emotion portrayed in a way that goes beyond Hallmark and the TV shows I grew up with, Robles struggles with several challenges to pursue his college career: His coach requires a run up the peak, presumably in Papago Park, where my older sister (who attended Arizona State for a time) and I walked one day. Anthony starts out early and goes up on crutches. Pretty unbelievable, at least the way they portray it. Probably pretty true-to-fact.
The wrestling program's funding is cut his sophomore year, so that's it for his second year in college. He takes on a full-time job to support his family, including his mom and siblings, after the deadbeat dad stops making mortgage payments.
In his junior year, Anthony not only begins to shine, with his determination and courage, but also gains his teammates' respect. He loses in the NCAA final to Matt McDonough--pinned in the match.
Without his knowledge (according to the portrayal in the film), ASU's coach consults with team members, who all say they will take less scholarship money to make up a full-ride scholarship for Robles, or they won't wrestle for ASU. It's pretty incredible, stuff you "only see in a movie". I haven't check the fact-vs.-fiction sites on the historical accuracy of "Unstoppable", but it's impactful in the viewing experience.
His college coach, played by Don Cheadle, who is very effective in his role, calls Anthony in for a heart-to-heart. He tells Anthony, "I didn't know you and see you" (for your determination). "But now I see you." It's a well-written scene in which he lets his athlete know, in succinct terms, that his dedication and excellence have captured the attention of his coach.
We kind of know what is going to happen as the climax, Robles defeating McDonough in the rematch for the NCAA title. Jennifer Lopez and family go crazy, celebrating, alongside his high school coach, played by Michael Pena, who remains a loyal supporter of the father-less family.
Anthony only wins by a decision, but it's still a great accomplishment. Young kids have written him letters saying they admire him and are given the guts to try hard things because of him.
The obvious question as a viewer is whether the actor, Jharrel Jerome, is one-legged as well. No, the images are managed to depict a two-legged person as having one leg. Jerome is believable, and displays his emotions well.
A takeaway I had was that with all the challenges I may feel, my challenges are nothing like those facing a one-legged champion who has to "make your one leg be as strong as two legs", as his coach implores him. I can be encouraged to go about my life, meeting the easy and the hard stuff with courage and confidence.
The mere fact I try is a success. With God above and my best effort, I can forge ahead to explore new roads that would not be possible otherwise.
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