I’m a sucker for a great underdog story, and the movie Unstoppable really delivers.
It’s the story of Anthony Robles, a one-legged wrestler who, against the odds and the doubters, won the NCAA wrestling championship representing Arizona State University in 2011.
It was a movie almost anyone could relate to who has ever been in a position where they felt like an underdog.
The main reason I loved this movie was that I could relate to it. There were so many times in the movie where I thought, “Same here.” I think almost anyone could relate to it in one way or another.
The movie opened on a high school national championship match between Anthony and another wrestler. I was immediately drawn in, not solely because I used to announce wrestling matches at my own high school, or because I’m a fan of everything sports, but because the competition was intense, the music was intense, and I was on the edge of my seat watching this nailbiter match that ended with Anthony taking the championship.
The primary themes of the story centered around the choices we make and how our attitudes about our circumstances impact our mindset. I liked the way those two themes were woven throughout the movie.
The theme of choices was actually introduced by Anthony’s stepfather, who emphasized the importance of making good choices, which is ironic considering his stepfather was abusive, had been fired, and failed to pay the mortgage on his own house. Anthony faced some really difficult decisions, like turning down a full-ride scholarship to Drexel in order to stay close to home and his family, walking onto the ASU wrestling team without financial assistance, and continuing to attend college rather than just quitting.
Not all of Anthony’s choices were good ones, though. Another pivotal choice Anthony made that did not work in his favor was coming out too aggressively during the NCAA championship match his junior year, which led to him falling to Matt McDonough from Iowa. It was a good lesson, however.
Along with choices, the theme of mindset resonated with me. Anthony’s ASU coach, Shawn Charles, told a story about a Chinese farmer (a parable) where various circumstances could be considered good or bad, depending on your mindset. The phrase “Good news, bad news, who knows?” was pervasive throughout the movie. For instance, Anthony’s stepfather left the family right as Anthony was deciding on a college, which led to Anthony turning down Drexel and choosing ASU. While it sounds like bad news initially, ultimately, it ended up being good news, because Anthony ended up right where he needed to be.
Additionally, the wrestling program at ASU was cut due to funding during Anthony’s sophomore year. Bad news, right? Not necessarily. The team rallied and gave up some of their own scholarship money to keep Anthony on the team with a full-ride. Good news, who knew?
Perhaps what resonated most with me was that I identified with Anthony. While not physically disabled like Anthony, I live with a lifelong developmental disability that people hear about and draw conclusions about that may not be accurate. Like the opening scene at the wrestling tournament, where some of the spectators were commenting that Anthony must have been there as a charity case, I have felt at times that I have not been taken seriously as a journalist based on my disability. Sometimes people have a hard time seeing the person beyond the disability.
Anthony said it best: “If I win, having one leg won’t be the most important thing about me.” That’s a sentiment we can all get on board with.
