Reviews by Matt

Life in South Philly in 1976 was hard on a lot of people. Vince Papale (Mark Walburg) was an out of work substitute teacher turned bartender and a diehard Eagles fan. In a time of hardships, the entire town turned to the Eagles for relief from the struggles of everyday life. As of late, their beloved Eagles were letting them down by having losing season after losing season. When new coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kenner) is hired, he decides to hold open tryouts. Anyone is Philly can become an Eagle. Through much pressure from his friends, Vince goes to the tryout and actually makes the team. As he begins tryouts he begins to doubt that he will make the team. The rest of the team, who see him as a publicity stunt that has gone on too long, hate him. He talks to his pseudo-girlfriend Janet (Elizabeth Banks) and she helps him to keep it up. When he eventually makes the team, he doesn’t perform well and again has thoughts of quitting, but it becomes evident to him that he is not just playing for himself but for the entire city of Philadelphia.

“Invincible” is based on the true story of Vince Papale, who tried out for and became a Philadelphia Eagle in 1976. The movie follows the same pattern as movies like “Rocky,” “The Rookie,” and “The Natural.” Ordinary man becomes a pro athlete and rises up to meet the challenge. As inspirational sports movies go, this ranks in the middle of the pack. It’s a fun, uplifting story that is very entertaining. The only thing that makes this movie stand out from its predecessors is the camera work used in the games. The camera is in the middle of the action. It is the as close you can get to playing with out having to actually put on pads.

Everyone knows that Mark Walburg and Greg Kenner are both great actors, and I’m sure in other reviews you have heard all about their performances. One actress who is also getting a lot of press is Elizabeth Banks. She plays Janet Cantrell, a fellow bartender in the bar where Vince works. She befriends him and the rest of the patrons and becomes one of the guys. She can talk football with the best of them and they come to accept her as on of them. She ends up becoming involved with Vince. Her performance is one of the best in the movie. She has had only small roles supporting roles in movies up until the last year or so. She takes a semi-leading role and does a great job. Look for her to become a bigger star in the coming year.
So what if “Invincible” isn’t the most original sports movie. It’s still a very good movie. The movie had chances to be cheesy, but manages to keep it to a minimum. Although it does take liberties with what happened, it does so for dramatic effect and that is acceptable. It doesn’t match up to the best Disney sports movie, “Remember The Titans,” but it is still a very good movie that is worth the price of admission.

Rated PG for sports action and some mild language.
Runtime: 105 min
8 out of 10