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Shelf Beauties |
Invincible Just like Snakes on a Plane
is a typical B-movie with all the clichés and cheesy
dialogue expected to be in it, Invincible
is a typical feel good film about an underdog overcoming long shot odds
to do something special, and getting the girl along the way. It's
comforting entertainment done well
Mark "Don't Call Him Marky Mark" Wahlberg stars as Vince Papale – an unemployed teacher living on the mean streets of Philadelphia working at his favorite local bar for a couple of extra bucks during the economically turbulent mid-1970s. This isn't the fancy Philadelphia portrayed in travel and tourism promotional materials. This is Rocky's rough and tumble mean streets of Philly where people are having a hard time making ends meet, the unions are fighting a losing struggle against the corporations trying to trim every cost, and the city's beloved football team, The Philadelphia Eagles, absolutely stink. It’s the Philadelphia where people pound frozen meat with their fists! The team has hired a new coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), who has decided to shake things up by holding an open tryout to see if he can be the one to find some undiscovered talent that can help the ball club, but mostly to put a bit of a scare into the current Eagles who need some motivation. When Vince’s pals convince him to try out, he sets out on a journey full of inspiration, immense challenges and fame he never thought he would achieve. Will Vince make the team? Of course, he makes the
team!!!!! They don't make movies about guys who DON'T make the
team. However, what makes Invincible
work, even though you know exactly what is going to happen just about
every step of the way, is its heart. Writer Brad Gann appeals
to the audience’s natural inclination to root for the
underdog, pull for him when the odds are against him, and have us react
as Vince inspires and consoles so many around him.
Director Ericson Core gives you the sense that Vince is a good guy in a bad spot, and this tryout, this opportunity, could change his life when he most needs it, and he deserves something nice in his life. Sure, he gives us all of the typical scenes like the silly tryout montage with people who should never step foot on a football field making fools of themselves, the veterans bullying Vince and the inevitable love story. It even gets a bit sappy along the way, but Core and Gann throw in enough fun moments and emotional moments to make it all work because that’s what you want when you go to see a movie like this. We also get that feeling because of Wahlberg’s portrayal. He fills the character with decentness and delivers one of his most honest performances ever. It’s a natural portrayal where Wahlberg never forces an emotion and never reaches for more than he can deliver. He makes you want to cheer and cry all throughout the movie by making a likable character even more so. Kinnear does much the same thing as he spouts coaching clichés that wouldn’t ring true if he didn’t make you believe Vermeil believes it, and they ring true for anyone who has followed Vermeil’s career enough to know he does say these things and does have this sort of emotion. He never overdoes the big moments, and brings something important to the small ones. Yes, Invincible does stray from the true story. Papale played for a year in the World Football League (a competitor to the NFL in the 70’s), so he was no babe in the woods when it came to the game of football. Also, he was kind of invited to the open tryout, rather than pushed by friends and family, but the creative license taken by the makers only enhance the movie and don’t cheat history in any significant way. Instead, it makes Invincible into Rudy. 3 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2006 - WaffleMovies.com
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