Invincible
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Movie Reviews of Invincible
Movie Review: Who's Nuts?
Summary: 5 Stars
The most amazing thing about the film "Invincible" is that even though he never got to see a Super Bowl, Vince Papale was rightly credited with making a contribution of his own in getting the Philadelphia Eagles on the right track by generating fan enthusiasm with his talent and athletic ability. Knowing what the Eagles'record was like immediately prior to his (and Head Coach Dick Vermeil's) appearance, it would be very hard to disagree.
At the beginning of "Invincible", the Eagles are an awful, awful football team. By the end of the film, everything begins to turn, and the fans in Philadelphia are going nuts! So what's not to like?
I saw this film and went nuts. In fact, I liked the film "Invincible"so much, I got the book and quickly read it. The book "Invincible" was just as inspiring, but it gave me a much different picture of Vince Papale. While many athletes tend to embelish past accomplishments (The older I get, the tougher I was...) Papale is pretty clear in his explanation about how he got to be special teams Captain of the Philadelphia Eagles. That it mostly had to do with perseverance, stamina, mental toughness, and yes, luck. It a good read, but that's for another review.
Anyway, Papale was physically very tough, but the choice he made for his college education wasn't an NFL breeding ground like Penn State or Notre Dame. Even though he was recruited to play professional ball in another league, for years the NFL was a distant dream. What "Invincible" the film didn't touch on was that Vince Papale had a great basis of experience to draw upon in order become a very good professional athlete. And it wasn't just sandlot smashmouth football.
Papale's background is something that the film "Invincible" doesn't really get very much into. It can't; There just wouldn't be enough time for it, and to take a trip though Papale's past athletic struggles would be too complicated for most audiences. Even though it's very interesting, without all of that, the pace of the movie itself is just about right. The story unfolds gradually and doesn't drag.
Mark Whalberg is a great choice for the part of Vince Papale. Although he doesn't resemble Papale, Wahlberg can take a character and make him come to life, as he does here, in an "everyman" sort of way. I also really liked Greg Kinnear as Dick Vermeil. Elizabeth Banks as Janet Cantrell is pretty good too.
The soundtrack is period stuff, mainly. Some of it holds up well ("I Just Want to Celebrate," "Funk, No.49," "Fooled Around and Fell in Love") and some of it doesn't. Personally, I don't care if I ever hear "Free Bird" again for the rest of my life...
Anyway, too bad about the Eagles in 2008. Close, but no cigar. At least the kid I saw in the the stands during the playoffs knew what the deal was. He was wearing his Papale Jersey.
Go Eagles!
Movie Review: More than your typical Disney movie.
Summary: 5 Stars
You don't have to be a fan of boxing to enjoy Rocky. In the same way you don't have to be a fan of football to enjoy another film about a down-on-his-luck Philadelphai native who rises to be a star; Invincible. There are a lot of similarities between Invincible and Rocky (and that's not a bad thing considering Rocky won Best Picture), but there are two notable differences. The first is: Invincible is based on a true story. The second is: it's even better than Rocky.
Most people are familiar with the Disney formula of sports films (ie The Rookie, Remember the Titans, etc..). They always contain a certain level of quality that makes them watchable. They also always seem to contain a prerequisite level of Formula D (D is for Disney in this case) and enough sugar coating to keep them from ever being considered truly great films. Invincible makes a strong attempt to break this mold. While it may not be competely free of the Disney strings, director/cinematographer Ericson Core definately makes this film his own. His talent behind the camera gives this film a visual artistic quality instead of a by-the-numbers feel most often seen in Disney films.
To some, Invincible may seem unoriginal. With so many films being made following the same formula, it would be understandable for audiences to feel like they've "been there, done that," but you can't fault a true story for being unoriginal. We watch true stories not so much to find out what happens next, but to awe in the fact that it happened at all. Other true stories like Seabiscuit and Cinderella Man share much in common with Invincible, but their failure in telling their story as if it were fiction; where the audience doesn't know what's going to happen next. In the film Rocky, the audience doesn't know if Rocky can win the big fight, so the story plays out successfully keeping the audience compelled to watch and see if Rocky can do it. This approach doesn't work when retelling history, and Invincible realizes that fact. Everyone knows Vince Papale's is going to succeed, but what most don't know is what it took to get there, and how he succeeded.
The stars of this film are Greg Kinnear and Mark Wahlberg. Both are underrated actors, and both deliver performances that should rank up with their best. Being a fan of NFL football and also a fan of Dick Vermeil, I felt chills when Kinnear performed as the legendary coach.
In the end, I'd call Invincible a great film in Disney clothing. If you are on the fence, you won't be taking any chances by going out to see this film.
Movie Review: Definitely One to Have on DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've seen Rocky then you know the basic story here - but the brilliance with Invincible is that it's all true. Ironically, when the real life Vince Papale was just going through his transformation in the gritty streets of Philadelphia, Rocky had just come out - and some of his teammates and opponents would tease him by calling him "Rocky".
The brilliance of getting this on DVD is that you can hear the commentary track with the real Vince Papale giving his insight into what was happening throughout this time. The strikes were pulling the heart out of the locals. Vince's wife walked out on him. The Eagles kept losing. The people of Philly struggled on with a mixture of gut determination and faith.
Yes, it's a story of Vince - 30 years old, out of work, out of a relationship, making ends meet by tending bar, getting his one shot at a dream. But it's also the story of the whole area he lives in, how they are being beaten down and they still hang in there. Vince's neighbor invites him in and feeds him pasta. His dad and gang root for him every chance they can. Little kids make up jerseys with Vince's numbers on them.
It's funny how, for a sports movie, it actually is much more about the characters. My boyfriend loves football, but I'm not nearly as enthusiastic about the sport. We both really enjoyed watching this together. The soundtrack is gorgeous. The characters are gritty and real. They're not perfect - they're human with character and heart. As much as some Disney movies can feel very sappy, this one is encouraging without going overboard. These are real heartbreaks that happened - real obstacles that were overcome.
It's fascinating looking back to what football was like in the 70s. Vince explains that the team rooms really were that tiny - that the streets in Philly are narrow, the homes restrictive. The emotions and experiences were real. Mark Whalberg does most of his own football work here and takes some massive hits. The movie ends with clips of the real Papale and his teammates, turning their team from a losing one to a group that reached the Superbowl.
Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Invincible" is a class act on many fronts. Superb performances by the entire cast, but most especially Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear add to this excellent film. In fact, I believe this to be one of Kinnear's finest performances. He had the subtle nuances of Vermiel down pat.
This is a film about Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), who loses everything. His wife walks out on him, he loses his teaching job, and drives a clunker that needs a jump about every 20 feet. Yet, he has a passion to play football. From the backlots in Philadelphia playing hard with his working class buddies, you come to know very quickly that Vince's true love is the game.
Rookie head coach Dick Vermiel (Greg Kinnear) issues a call for open tryouts trying almost anything to rescue a dead-end team. Because of Papale's raw but obvious talent, he lands a job with the Philadelphia Eagles and the rest is history.
The movie itself is more like a 'snapshot in time' in the sense that it doesn't take us through a protracted space of time where characters are developed. It all happens in a brief span of time with the centerpieces of the film being Vince Papale and Dick Vermiel. But then again I realize I am somewhat prejudiced because I don't think that there is any movie about football that would be too long for my taste.
This movie isn't only for us who love football, but in a larger sense a story about grit, determination, and character-the triumph of the human spirit. Unfortunately films of this sort are almost unheard of these days. This is a movie I am glad to own and, I am sure will watch again and again. Hollywood? If you're listening, bring us more like this one!
Movie Review: Better the second time
Summary: 5 Stars
I first watched Invincible when I was distracted and didn't get the emotion like I did last night watching Invincible.
In my town last year talk radio was filled with the question about a certain quarter back who was indicted on several felony counts, on whether the NFL was entitled to ban him for life. For me here is the deal and this film illustrates it very well, when you put on a uniform, you represent something, in this case an NFL team, and more to the point a City. If you act in a way that disrespects the people you represent, you forfeit the right to represent those people.
In Invincible, Philadelphia in the mid -seventies is a city beset by hard times, and the Eagles were faring no better. Vince Papale's life was so symbolic of his home town, you couldn't have made it more so through fiction. As this true story "Rocky" kind of tale goes on, Vince's father takes him to the side and tells him "When I told you not to get your hopes up, I never told you that I wouldn't get mine up.... Those stories I used to tell you about... [Eagles Football] that touch-down got me through 30 years [of factory work]. That to me is the center of this story, people who live humble lives may not have much to hold to (God and Country being excepted for my point) you might not have a college to hold to as your team etc., but cities with Pro teams can give the average Joe an identity and loyalty.
So again, here's the deal, I don't want to hear from Pro Athlete's about they aren't paid to be role models, because if they aren't what are they paid for?
Invincible is a great movie!