Invincible
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Rated: PG
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kirk Acevedo, Lola Glaudini
Director: Ericson Core
WorkNameSort: Invincible
Our Rating: 2.50
If you’ve seen two inspirational sports movies, then you’ve definitely seen this NFL biopic before. Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a lower-class bartender and amateur footballer, is watching his life crumble around him when a fateful opportunity presents itself: The Philadelphia Eagles, coming off an abysmal season, hold an open tryout for anyone with talent, ambition and the dream to play in the NFL. The odds stacked against him, Papale battles his inner demons and lack of self-confidence, appears at the tryout, and â?¦ is a complete failure, embarrassing himself, alienating his friends and drowning his sorrows in a pit of drunken despair? Not quite. This is a Disney movie, but even as harmless formula fluff, Invincible still has a genuine depth of feeling and the sincere, old-fashioned optimism inherent in classic triumphant-underdog movies. Wahlberg carries the movie through one clichÃ©d plot point after another, acting with a boyish, understated charm that expertly conveys Vince’s nervous ineptitude when thrust into the locker rooms and onto the playing fields with NFL veterans.

This article appears in Aug 23-29, 2006.

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