Film Review

Invincible: B+

Yeah, I could've gone for the football action shot, but why waste a good "dude drenched and showing off his muscles and looks hot even though he has a 70s 'do" pic?

Mark Wahlberg stars in this real-life story about Vince Papale, a 30-year-old blue-collar type of guy from south Philly who tries out for the Eagles in 1976. It starts out as a PR event staged by new head coach, Dick Vermeil (played by Greg Kinnear) to get the city behind the team again, but 'lo and behold -- the guy has actual talent.

In case you don't know the story or haven't looked up the actual details, I'll leave the plot at that so that it's not spoiled. I didn't know anything about Papale and found myself anxiously waiting to find out how far he'd go, and if he made it, would he actually play?

I wouldn't say that this is the type of movie that's going to change your life or get you emotionally stirred up, like Rudy, but it's entertaining and the characters are what I'd call "real people." The acting is pretty good, which can be hard to pull off when playing a real person, and I actually thought I was watching this Papale guy, instead of just an actor.

I also liked how it shows Papale's personal side and his close group of friends that are always there to help each other out, even when times are rough. Strangely, we don't seem to see too many movies about "guys just being guys" without any weaponry, bling or superhero powers thrown into the mix. Elizabeth Banks refreshingly breaks the testosterone frontline of the film as Papale's potential love interest and is easily one of the more charismatic actresses I've seen in a long time (most recently playing JD's newly-pregnant girlfriend on Scrubs).

I also tend to appreciate movies more when their script actually sounds like something my friends would say. While I can admire a great screenplay, like Casablanca, with memorable lines, it has its time and place. A hard-edged sports movie showing how gritty life can be in south Philly with union strikes and trying to make ends meet should not have an Oscar-baiting soliloquy, a touching musical score, or an attempt to come up with memorable lines like "at my command, unleash Hell." Don't get me wrong, the movie has it's fair share of cliches that sports movies seem unable to avoid, but it doesn't get mired down in them.

As many critics have pointed out in the past, Disney makes good family sports movies, like Miracle (one of my faves about the 1980 US Olympic hockey team and a must-see for anyone) or Remember the Titans. From a comparison point of view, it reminded me a lot of The Rookie with Dennis Quaid in terms of an "over-the-hill" regular joe trying out for a pro team.

And with a PG rating, you can even take your kids to see it. I have to admit that when we walked out of the theatre, I had to ask my friends, "did you hear any swearing in that? I think it might've actually been PG." I don't remember the last time I've been to a just a PG movie that didn't involve taking a kid under the age of 12.

Yes, even without the swearing, I still enjoyed it. And if you like sports movies, then you probably will too.

Btw, in case you're wondering what keeps a movie from becoming an A, I'll just share with you right now. I did like Invincible a lot, but in order for a film to get an A, it really has to resonate some type of emotion with me, whether it be anger, sadness, happiness, envy, etc. This film falls a little short of having "the goose bump" or the "I must have this film when it releases on DVD" factors, which would elevate it to an A-level film.