Invincible Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)September 5th, 2006
"Invincible" - Scores a Safety
by Homer Yen
(c) 2006
I have to admit, I like vanilla ice cream. No,
not the artificially flavored kind or the French vanilla kind. Just give me some good ol' fashion vanilla. I like the familiarity of the natural flavors; I like the I-know-what-it-feels-like creaminess; I like seeing the tiny specks of
vanilla beans mixed within. It doesn't really
matter if it's Swensen's or Ben & Jerry's or
Breyer's or Dove. I have to admit, I like
vanilla ice cream.
I also have a similar acceptance for films like "Invincible". It follows in the footsteps of
other offerings like "Breaking Away" and
"Miracle". Actually, those two films were more riveting. In any case, the amiable genre is a familiar one, if not an overused one. It's the perennial loser with an enormous heart who finds
the inner strength to defy all odds. It's the feel-good sports film where the underdog rises
when most see him as failing. It's the Disney
film, so it's a film that you can take the
family.
The film focuses on the unlikely rise of Vince
Papale (played by Mark Wahlberg) who worked his
way to become an NFL starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. Before he suited up, he was just another South Philly guy who struggled. Economic times
were harsh during this time period. Steel mills
were losing money while union workers picketed in
a futile effort to keep things going. Vince's marriage was on the skids, and the only thing
that would provide some fleeting relief would be
the suicidal tackle football games in the
neighborhood run-down lot. Vince's only source
of income was a tenuous teaching job and
part-time hours as a bartender. At 30 years old,
his future is looking as bleak as the
Philadelphia Eagles prospects of having a winning
record.
Desperate times call for desperate measures -
even for a professional football team. The
Eagles announce open tryouts to inject some new
life into their waning organization. I don't
think that I have to tell you the rest. And it
would be dour of me to sway you away from an inspirational movie. And, in fact, the film
offers up a few elements that keep your interest
level going. One is Greg Kinnear's performance
as the Eagles new coach, Dick Vermeil. He's
filled with a hunger to turn the team around, but
has a certain amount of humility that's needed in fashioning a winning environment.
The film also shows restraint. Vince Papale's contributions are not overstated and the film
never portrays him as a miracle. He is not
carrying the weight of all of Philadelphia on his shoulders. But, he is carrying the goals and
dreams of his local bar buddies.
During the end credits, we are given some more information about his tenure with the Eagles and
we even see a few clips of him in action on the
field. It's always warming to know that ordinary people with an above-average level of desire can
do extra-ordinary things.
Grade: B-
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
