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INVINCIBLE (PG-13)

Plot Summary: At open tryouts for the Philadelphia Eagles pro football team, only underdog Vince Papale has what it takes to make the team.

Reason for the Rating: Mild language and football violence.

Disney’s latest sports underdog movie Invincible is Rocky in shoulder pads. Sure, Invincible is often formulaic, but the movie runs the routes perfectly.

Invincible opens with extended shots of Philadelphia in the 70’s, a blue-collar town bowed by the weight of the labor disputes and recession. The camera comes to rest at Max’s bar in South Philly where we meet part-time bar tender, Vince Papale (Mark Walhberg). Vince serves beer to his friends, an ensemble of mustached, meathead guys who, like himself, are going nowhere. The inertia of Vince’s life is interrupted when he loses his day job and his wife leaves him.

At the same time, the Philadelphia Eagle’s new coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), pulls a publicity stunt to generate interest in his slumping team. Via the TV at the bar, Vince learns that Vermeil is offering open tryouts for players who want to make the team. Feeling he's got nothing to lose, 30-year-old Vince tries out and, and is the only walk-on invited to stick around. The rest of the film chronicles his struggles to survive the preseason cut downs and stick with the team.

Elizabeth Banks, plays Janet, Vince’s love interest—a beautiful, football-loving, bar-tender at Max’s. Banks makes the most of a clichéd  role and a pretty thin script. Still, she brought enough sparkle and energy to slip out of her straight- jacketed role. The love story isn’t terribly interesting or nuanced—two beautiful football fans meet. This is one area where Invincible fell short of the Rocky formula. There was a tenderness between Rocky and Adrian that wasn’t equaled in Invincible. But Banks and Walhberg have enough chemistry to make the love story passable.

Yes, Vince Papale’s story was “Disneyfied.” The movie omitted that Papale was a WR in the now defunct World Football League and presented Vince’s only football experience as playing pickup football. In real life. Also, Vince was already remarried (to Janet) by the time he went out for tryout. Disney could have offered us the story of a man struggling to feed his family. Instead, we watch Vince’s first wife leave him on a Wednesday, Vince makes the Eagles on Saturday, and falls in love with Janet within a week.

In spite of the flimsy love story, and the formulaic plot line (Disney also gave us Rudy, and Remember the Titans), Invincible is a great, feel-good movie, a story of individual struggle and triumph. You’ll want to stand up and cheer during the final credits.

Parent should be aware that there is some mild profanity.

FAMILYFANS RECOMMENDS:

This is a great family film. Keep two hands on the popcorn when you stand up and cheer.

AFTER THE SHOW: 

• The Apostle Paul wrote a lot about the importance of perseverance. What can Vince Papale teach you about perseverance?

• Why was Vince tempted to not try out for the film? Have you ever had a dream that you were afraid to pursue?

• What kind of hard work is behind making a dream come true? Do you think Invincible portrayed Vince doing this hard work or not?

LS

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