Movie Review: Invincible (The Vincent Papale Story)

[lmcjaho]

Okay, so I went to see this one on Saturday with my wife, and I really enjoyed it.

I find myself enjoying a lot of Mark Wahlberg's stuff, so if you don't, your opinion may vary.

For those unfamiliar with the story, it is a true story about a substitute teacher / part-time bartender from South Philadelphia who in 1976 tried out for the Eagles when newly appointed head coach Dick Vermeil invited anyone who wanted to try out to come down and do so.

In a conversation between Vermeil and his wife (those of you familiar with Vermeil are probably aware that he is well-known for discussing a lot of football-related things with her) we find out that the invite is mostly a publicity-stunt type arrangement designed to restore some of the public interest in the team after a number of consecutive losing seasons. Vermeil is played by Greg Kinnear in the movie, and I felt he did a great job with the part. The publicity-stunt takes an interesting turn when Papale (Wahlberg) turns in a very good 40-yard dash and impresses coaches in all the drills - Vermeil decides to invite him to training camp.

Throughout the movie we are shown scenes of life in Philadelphia in 1976, where many people were out of work, labor-disputes were rampant, and the lives of the lower-middle-class were tinged with a big dose of depression and hopelessness as a result. Papale's journey to make the team therefore became a boost not only to himself, but to his friends and neighbors as well - adding to the pressures of a situation that would normally already be tough to deal with as it was.

The dialogue is well done, the characters are all easy to identify with, and the story is all the more enjoyable since it is a true one - fact is better than fiction sometimes.

From a sports-movie perspective I give this one a 9/10, for those who are less sports-oriented I think it is still a solid 7.

[Bill C]

Very nice, professional quality review! I had already planned to see the flick, and your review made me even more eager to see it.

I remember Papale as a player, and I can easily recall Vermeil's tenure at Philly, which a few years later resulted in a trip to the Super Bowl.

Kinnear looks a lot like Vermeil, doesn't he?

bc

[katyseagull]

I hadn't heard of this one. I've been very impressed with Greg Kinnear's acting in the past (and Mark Wahlberg too) so I really hope I get a chance to see this. It sounds very interesting (and I'm not really that into sports!). Thanks for reviewing it.