Invincible (2006)reviewed by Benn "Where's the Humanity?" Farrell
When part-time bartender and full time Eagles fan Vince Papale, played by Mark Wahlberg (Four Brothers), tries out for the Philadelphia Eagles during an open call, the 32-year-old's focus, determination and self esteem are put to the test. The movie takes its audience through training camp, cut after cut, until he is able to walk out of the players' tunnel as a bonifide Philadlphia football player with an entire city behind him. The film creates a good atmosphere, mostly due to the cast. It does very well at depicting a blue collar tale. The sub-plot with Papale's always-at-the-bar bitter friend got fuzzy in its purpose. I couldn't understand what the film was trying to say with those characters' storyline together. I loved the parallel between Papale being too old to play NFL football and coach Vermiel, played by Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine), being too old to COACH NFL football. I'm not sure how true the ending of the movie was, although the credits archive footage shows Papale running a touchdown wile playing special teams; however, the climax of the picture was a nice one. Overall, as inspirational sports movies go, as Disney Pictures continues to try and corner the market on them, "Invincible" is not better than "Miracle," but better than "Glory Road." Benn - Where's the Humanity?
This was a long movie for what it boiled down to. Some cuts could have been made.