It’s become part of Disney’s regular schedule to release a cheesy sports movie about an athlete or team succeeding in the face of significant underdog odds. As such, Invincible , the mouse’s take on the story of Philadelphia bartender Vince Papale, who attended an open tryout for his hometown Eagles and became a 30-year-old rookie, is necessarily formulaic. Yet for all the additions to the “true” story, for all the scenes you’ve seen before in films from Rocky to Miracle, Invincible finds the heart to stand apart from the crowd as a genuine, moving film.
Marky Mark stars as Papale who, at the beginning of the movie, is like much of Philadelphia: down on his luck. His substitute teaching job disappeared from under his nose, his wife left claiming that he’d never make a name for himself doing anything, and the one thing he and the entire city relies on for an escape – the Eagles – just finished a dismal season. But things start to change when new head coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) comes to town and announces open tryouts. The idea is a lark for both men – Vermeil wants to shake things up and Papale wants to get on the field just to forget his troubles for a few hours – but Papale soon finds himself in training camp, competing for a roster spot and, it seems, for the hopes of an entire city.
The plot sounds trite, but, like the digitally recreated Veteran’s Stadium, there’s a whole lot more to it than the worn facade. The film captures perfectly how much the Eagles mean to Philadelphia, especially because the story is set in a time when the city was mired in unemployment problems. Wahlberg is a surprisingly good fit in South Philly (though Papale is actually a Glenolden native), mixing grit, charm, and good humor into a commanding performance. Kinnear is dead-on perfect as Vermeil, with all the right mannerisms and speech patterns (I know this because I met Vermeil on Friday). Thrown into the mix are a host of Vince’s friends, all played with appropriate emotional weight and, because it’s a Disney movie, a love interest: Elizabeth Banks as Janet, the Giants-loving cousin of the owner of the bar where Vince works.
From camera work up to the veteran cast and crew, everything about Invincible seems to be on top of its game. I’ll admit bias because I’m a Philadelphian, but this formula has worked in a slew of other movies for Disney, and, if all the films that fit this mold in the future are as good as Invincible, nobody will complain.
Rating: * * * * of 5
And Papale is a fellow Hawk :)
Yes indeed. I didn’t think it was pertinent to mention this in the review, but I met Papale on Friday as well, and told him I was a fellow SJU grad. He shook my hand and said “The Hawk Will Never Die.”
Freaking awesome…
I need to see this movie. My dad told me I’m his date for it this weekend HAHA.
I agree with all you wrote buddy. And I saw the movie & it was great. I did not know about Papale before I saw the movie. How true is it Jeff? Any idea?
It isn’t entirely true…the woman isn’t the woman he wound up married to (I don’t think she even existed), I don’t think the touchdown was scored so quickly in his career, etc…
It’s a movie, so there’s a lot added to the story.