Invincible (2006)----***
The latest in a recent string of fact-based, sports-themed dramas from Disney, Invincible neatly balances the inevitable, Frank Capra-esque sentiment with a welcome dash of blue collar grit and rowdy good humor. This engaging, classic underdog yarn inspired by the remarkable story of Seventies-era Philadelphia Eagles player Vince Papale may not break any new cinematic ground or have the emotional texture of Friday Night Lights, but on its own populist filmmaking terms, Invincible succeeds without yanking on the heartstrings too blatantly.
Cinematographer-turned-director Ericson Core and his production team effectively capture the look and feel of Philadelphia, circa 1976, when the Philly's rabid football fans were showing little of their city's famed brotherly love towards the Eagles, then in the midst of a humiliating, eleven-season losing streak. Hard times have also hit schoolteacher Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), who was ditched by his wife and lost his job in crushing succession. Just when it seems he's hit the proverbial rock bottom, however, Vince gets a second chance, courtesy of the new Eagles coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), who decides to hold public tryouts for the NFL team. At the urging of his buddies Tommy (Kirk Acevedo), Pete (Michael Kelly), and Max (Michael Rispoli), Vince reluctantly goes to the tryout—and surprises everyone, including himself, by surviving the first cut. Immediately embraced by the media as the local boy made good, Papale receives a far chillier reception from the Eagles players, who dismiss him as an over-age amateur—that is, when they're not pulverizing him on the field. But in time-honored underdog fashion, Vince gradually proves that Vermeil was right to pluck him out of obscurity.
Making a solid directorial debut, Corr generally refrains from milking Papale's story for maximum syrupy uplift. To that end, he's aided enormously by his cast, which also includes Elizabeth Banks (Seabiscuit), who brings a refreshing spikiness to what could have been a thankless love-interest role as Janet, a pretty barmaid and adamant New York Giants fan. She brings much-needed energy to her scenes with Wahlberg, who's likable, albeit a tad recessive, as the modest, "regular Joe" hero. But if the sleepy-eyed Walhberg appears to lack the larger-than-life charisma of a true movie star, he's certainly a convincing and sympathetic presence in Invincible, especially in the football scenes, which Corr shoots with an exciting, bracing immediacy. Yes, Invincible has its fair share of earnest, "one for the Gipper"-style moments that are probably unavoidable in sports-themed films, yet these moments don't undermine what is ultimately a stirring crowd-pleaser about a real-life gridiron version of that other Philly underdog, Sylvester Stallone's Rocky.
