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Invincible
Inspired by the true story of Vince Papale, a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach of Papale's beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time – no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way.
Release : | 2006 |
Rating : | 7 |
Studio : | Walt Disney Pictures, |
Crew : | Assistant Property Master, Camera Production Assistant, |
Cast : | Mark Wahlberg Greg Kinnear Elizabeth Banks Kevin Conway Michael Rispoli |
Genre : | Drama History |
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You won't be disappointed!
Great Film overall
everything you have heard about this movie is true.
I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
Invincible is a pretty standard "inspirational sports movie." It has all of the familiar characters, plot lines and dialogue that we have grown accustomed to in movies like this. This is the Western Family version of Rudy. It's not exceptional, just acceptable. Plus, I was surprised to find out how much this movie differs from the actual life of Vince Papale.
I've seen this a couple times now over the years and always really enjoy it. Its hard not to, another one of those inspirational sports-underdog stories that has you invested and cheering for a down on his luck local hero.Mark Whalberg puts in a great performance here as Vince Papale, he's a hero we can relate to, just an average neighborhood guy trying to get by in a tough economy, working as a bartender after he loses his teaching job due to budget cuts, his wife has just left him (and a "nice" note) proclaiming he will never amount to anything. Vince gets his chance when the Philadelphia Eagles announce open tryouts for the team. At 30 and never having played college ball he doesn't expect this to lead anywhere, instead just decides to take the opportunity to stand on the same field as his idols.The story here is very similar to 'Rocky' with the Eagles taking the place of Apollo Creed (actually when I think about it there's too many comparisons to count so I won't go there) It's a great movie regardless, lots of interesting secondary characters to get invested in, with the whole neighborhood garnishing hope from Vince's success, a budding romance, a coach that is very likable (Greg Kinnear) yet also out of his depths with this losing team.This has been put on by Walt Disney Pictures so there is a certain amount of sugar coating to how this story has been told. The soundtrack is excellent transporting you back to the mid 70's I especially enjoyed the real footage cut in of Papale after the outcome of that all-important Big Game. He looked ecstatic.You come away from this one feeling like the you can do anything and that's always a good thing. 10/19/15
I'll have to admit bias on this one. Not so much because I grew up a Philadelphia Eagles fan, but because even more than that I am a huge fan or the underdog and outsider. Even better, Invincible is based on a true story of a man walking on to his hometown NFL team.In the drab and recession-laden mid-1970s, the lowly Philadelphia Eagles are so bad that their new head coach, Dick Vermeil, announces team tryouts open to the public on live TV. While every Eagles fan and football-obsessed yahoo in town lines up, one standout athlete, a 30 year old bartender named Vince Papale is good enough to make the team and go pro.In a style reminiscent of Rocky, the film's character struggles not only with his past failures amidst a new challenge of making the cut day-by-day, but he also grapples with his new role as a star and outcast in his own microcosm of working class Philadelphia life.Greg Kinnear and Mark Wahlberg are both convincing in their roles, and even if you're a Giants or Cowboys fan, you will be inspired to root for Papale as the underdog that delivers on game day.written by Andy Frye, MySportsComplex.blogspot.com
Mark Wahlberg continues to surprise and impress. This ostensibly is a sports film based on a true story, but the excellent cast delivers effective character driven scenes that elevate the proceedings into a watchable relationship drama. I love a good "walk and talk" scene and there are several. The director and editor are not afraid to have a fixed 2-shot during dialog (director Ericson Core is also the Director of Photography), more of a treat today in a world of herky-jerky hand held photography.Period music is blended into a realistic background, especially in the bar scenes which are a backbone to the first half (heh) of the movie. My only quibble might be the casting of Elizabeth Banks as the love interest. The first time we see them in the same frame, well, the outcome is obvious. Ms Banks does a credible job and it is no negative reflection on her that she creates an attractive bar maid.There is an interesting interview with Vince Papale over at DVD Fodder: http://www.filmfodder.com/dvd/archives/2006/12/vince_papale_in.shtml