I Hate Sports Movies, But I Liked Invincible
Written: Aug 25 '06 (Updated Aug 26 '06)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Mark Wahlberg, interesting and inspiring story, provides a good historical backdrop
Cons: Melodramatic soundtrack and overuse of slow motion
The Bottom Line: Despite my aversion to formulaic sports films, I do recommend Invincible.
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| chelledun's Full Review: Invincible |
Plot Information
Based on a true story, this movie follows the life of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a passionate Philadelphia Eagles fan and bartender going through some rough times. Under new coach Dick Verneil (Greg Kinnear), the Eagles hold an open tryout and Papale gets picked to join training camp. The story is about not only his experiences trying to make the team, but also his relationships with his hard-working friends, brother, and father. Sports fans will enjoy seeing familiar players, as many of the Eagles players granted Disney permission to use their real names in the movie.
My Thoughts
I will be honest and say that I do NOT generally like sports movies. This isn’t because of the whole silly “ew, sports movies are for boys” thing, but this is because I find them generally to be even more formulaic and cheesy than romantic comedies. They all remind me of Mighty Ducks. Despite my predisposition not to like Invincible, I actually did. True, this is somewhat of a feel-good movie and the ultimate conclusion is predictable. However, the film takes things to a more interesting level by focusing on Papale’s complex relationships with his friends and family. There is an excellent sense of place and time in this film, set in the 1970’s in south Philly. Economic downturn, job cutbacks, and factory worker strikes add an interesting backdrop to the sports action. The film also has a very unique look. Dark colors are used almost everywhere except in football stadiums, and we often get to see the action from Papale’s perspective.
The acting is excellent in Invincible. I’m a big Mark Wahlberg fan, and he is the perfect pick to play Papale. He plays the character as so darn likable that you can’t help but smile when he walks on screen. Not too tough on the eyes, either, that one. I was also glad to see Elizabeth Banks as Janet, the only female actor who gets to do much in Invincible. Banks has a wide range of talent and she is able to pull off this somewhat over-the-top character with ease. I would go on, but there really isn’t a bad performance in the bunch, so I’ll just say the acting in general is excellent. The vibe between Papale and his bar buddies is particularly believable and will give viewers the warm fuzzies.
This is a happy movie, and that isn’t a bad thing. Invincible comes with an inspiring message and makes some interesting observations about humans and sports team obsession as well as interpersonal relationships. At times, however, I felt the filmmakers were trying too hard to force the warm fuzzies when it wasn’t necessary. This happens due to major overuse of dramatic background music and slow-motion action. The result is melodrama instead of a natural progression of emotion. One of the most disappointing production choices occurs in a climactic scene where Papale plays a football game with his friends from the bar. The entire scene is shot in slow motion with slow, operatic music playing in the background. It would have been a great scene, but I felt like I was being hit over the head with “hey, this is an important, emotional scene!” I actually think whoever came up with the soundtrack for the film has some 'splainin to do, as the music really doesn't fit the action.
Overall…
Invincible does what it promises, and more. It provides football fans with an exciting sports movie with plenty of football footage, but also gives a context for the action and introduces characters I actually cared about. Had the filmmakers not tried so hard to force additional drama into the film, this would have been pretty much a perfect movie. As it is, Invincible is still a solid four-star film that I recommend as one of the best sports movies I’ve seen.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Feel-good Movie
Worst Part of this Film: Music
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