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Starring Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear
Let me begin with a brief statement: in general, I hate sports movies. Hate 'em. Glory Road was so boring, and Miracle was even more boring (it's the only movie i can ever recall falling asleep at). In my movie watching career, The Greatest Game Ever Played is the only sports movie I have ever fully enjoyed.
Now I can add Invincible to the short list of "Sports Movies That I Love".
We all root for the underdog, so it's no wonder that Mark Wahlberg's character Vince Papale (puh-PAUL-ee), a down-on-his-luck teacher/part time bartender with a wife that just divorced him, is instantly endearing. He and his buddies are all going through hard times - 1976 was a rough year in Philadelphia - and football is the only thing that sustains them. Their games in the park and the Philadelphia Eagles always make them happy, though the Eagles are going through a long string of losses. When the new head coach, d**k Vermeil (Kinnear) announces open tryouts for the Eagles, Vince is the only one that gets in.
This movie kept the perfect balance between scenes on the field and off to keep both moviegoers that didn't care so much about football (such as myself and the friend I saw it with) and those that are die-hard football fans (like my mom). The only places where it dragged were during the romantic subplot between Vince and Janet. My personal favorite bit was when Vince and his teammates are running out onto the field and the camera is bouncing up and down as if the cameraman, too, is running out onto the field.
My only conclusion is: go see Invincible whether you like football or not!
Star Rating: ***