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Watching "Invincible," I felt a little like coach Dick Vermeil. I was willing to give this scrappy wannabe a chance. Though unlikely player Vince Papale won over Vermeil — as well as fellow teammates and Eagles fans — his making-the-team story doesn’t fare quite as well.
The year is 1976 and the Eagles haven’t had a winning season in a decade. Amongst their diehard fans is 30-year-old Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a recently laid-off substitute teacher whose wife just left him. When he’s not watching his beloved Birds get their butts kicked, he plays the game with his buddies, usually leaving everyone in the dust.
When new Eagles coach Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) holds open tryouts, Papale’s friends encourage him to attend. To his — and their — surprise, he is invited to training camp.
"Invincible" wants to be "Rocky" with shoulder pads and cleats, but ends up being an anemic "The Rookie." Not to say it doesn’t have a heartbeat, especially when Papale makes the team. But a movie about a guy like this should have oodles of heart — like the man himself — and it comes up short.
"Invincible" also suffers from the disease plaguing many period movies: Soundtrack-itis. The symptoms usually includes indiscriminate use of music from the era that doesn’t always complement the action. There are only a few exceptions to this in the film, one of them being a crowd-pleasing and effective use of Ted Nugent’s "Stranglehold."
Not without sentiment, "Invincible" is at its best when Papale is interacting with his friends, whose excitement is palpable and infectious.
Although the film doesn’t quite hit its mark, Wahlberg hits his. This is a perfect role for him. He’s great as an athlete, albeit one who is late in the game, as well as a working-class lug. He may not ever be asked to play Hamlet, but here he is just fine.
"Invincible" doesn’t quite live up to its name, but for fans of the Eagles and underdog sports tales, it fits the bill.
Invincible
PG
Two reels out of four
In area theaters now
Recommended rental
United 93
R
Available Tuesday
Helmed by British director Paul Greengrass, "United 93" has the distinction of being the first theatrical fictional release about 9/11, beating out Oliver Stone’s "World Trade Center" by several months. It focuses on the only hijacked plane that did not reach its target that day.
The movie begins by tracking the four terrorists, who intend to take control of the plane, as they enter the airport. The film gives perspectives from the passengers and the officials on the ground, both trying to solve the catastrophe.
