INVINCIBLE is the inspiring true story of Vince Papale, an ordinary guy who, against extraordinary odds, gets a one-in-a-gazillion shot at living every sports fan's wildest fantasy. Like the city he lives in and his beloved hometown NFL team, the down-an-out Vince (Mark Wahlberg, THE ITALIAN JOB) has seen better days. But then the Philadelphia Eagles' new coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) calls an unprecedented open tryout, and the 30-year-old bartender who never played college ball makes the cut. Now Vince needs every bit of his gritty, never-say-die attitude and enormous heart to survive in the high-stakes world of professional football. Heartfelt and triumphant, and filled with body-slamming NFL football action, INVINCIBLE will have you on your feet cheering for the scrappy underdog who helped his team rediscover its winning spirits, and in the process rallied a city when it needed it most.
Walt Disney Pictures scored a surprise box-office hit with Invincible, and the movie deserved its good reviews as a fine example of how above-average writing, direction, and casting can turn formulaic material into something special. And make no mistake, this is a formulaic movie, with its real-life story embellished with Rocky-like enthusiasm, and lovingly crafted with the same quality of working-class humanism that made The Rookie a similarly popular Disney hit. This time, the inspirational true story is that of Vince Papale, a down-on-his-luck substitute teacher in Philadelphia (played by Mark Wahlberg in a nicely understated performance) who was 30 years old, out of work, abandoned by his wife, and biding time as a bartender when he answered an open call for tryouts on the Philadelphia Eagles NFL football team in 1976. Going with his gut instinct, new coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) rewards Papale's diligent efforts with a place on the team, and Invincible combines gridiron guts, low-key romance (as Papale meets his future wife-to-be, played by Elizabeth Banks) and blue-collar friendship in an underdog story that moves, with casual charm and abundant appeal, toward a rousing feel-good finish. Making good use of digital visual effects to recreate Philly's now-demolished Veterans Stadium, director Erickson Core (also serving as his own cinematographer) tackles this heartwarming assignment with intelligence and flair, spinning gold from what could have been just another routine sports movie. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Massive Disconnect:
As a huge football fan--and because I very much remember, and watched, Vince Papale play--I so wanted to like INVINCIBLE. And what's not to like? A hometown, down-on-his-luck, thirtysomething ex-jock getting a shot to play in the NFL is mega-inspiring. . .or should be. But this film misses the mark, and fails to connect. Why? Mark Wahlberg plays Papale as a silent, brooding man; when his wife leaves him, he sits in his empty apartment and broods; when the pressures of making the Philadelphia Eagles'... more info
Invincible - Blu-ray Info:
Version: U.S.A / Region A
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
MPEG-2 BD-25
Running time: 1:43:59
Movie size: 22,46 GB
Disc size: 24,91 GB
Average video bit rate: 20.72 Mbps
Number of chapters: 16
Subtitles: English / English SDH / French / Spanish LPCM Audio English 4608 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 4608kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English... more info
Disappointed:
I expected him to be a better football player... I cannot understand how he became a professional athlete - he doesn't cut it in my eyes and my husband felt the same way - he was just an average player at best and we were bored
Well-done movie about an unlikely hero:
This is a nice story of an unlikely hero along the lines of another Disney movie, The Rookie (starring Dennis Quaid). This time, the sport is football, not baseball, and setting is Philadelphia in the mid-70s. The hometown team, the Eagles, have been lousy for too long, and the fans, arguably the toughest in the league, are fed up. But then Dick Vermeil is brought on as the new coach (Greg Kinnear is excellent, as always), and he decides to shake things up by holding an open tryout. Enter South Philly... more info
