When I first saw the marketing materials for Disney’s Invincible back when it was released in the summer of 2006, I thought that the film seemed eerily similar to another Disney sports flick, The Rookie. After all, both dealt with the journeys of athletes who break into the professional level of their sport at a more advanced age than usual. In The Rookie, Jim Morris was 35 years old when he finally got to pitch in a Major League Baseball game. In Invincible, Vince Papale was 30 when he signed with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. Both were the oldest rookies of their respective sports.
So when I finally sat down to watch the Invincible DVD recently, I was expecting it to be an inspiring, heartwarming, against-all-odds sports movie — just like The Rookie was. Unfortunately, something went terribly wrong along the way, and the film fell flat.
Plot summary (with possible spoilers): In 1976, times were tough in the city of Philadelphia. Unemployment was rampant, and it was becoming increasingly difficult for people to find jobs in order to make ends meet. This was the world Vince Papale (played by Mark Wahlberg) and his friends inhabited.
Vince, 30 years old at the time, was working as a substitute teacher and a bartender while living with his wife Sharon (Lola Glaudini) in a rundown apartment. When he loses the teaching gig, Sharon bolts, leaving him with nothing but his blue-collar friends — and football. They not only like to watch the hapless Philadelphia Eagles at Veteran’s Stadium, but also play pickup games in empty lots. Although Vince’s talent is hinted at, there’s never any indication that he’s good enough to play in the pros.
But then Vince was presented with the chance of a lifetime, as newly hired Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) decides to hold open tryouts to give the team a boost. Vince’s friends convince him to give it a shot, so he does. Amazingly, Vermeil notices Vince and decides to invite him to training camp.
The rest of the film then deals with Vince’s struggles to make the team. He has to overcome both hostile teammates and the odds of breaking into the NFL in the first place, as well as some jealousy from a longtime friend.
My Reaction: Although I’m usually a sucker for sports films and stuff based on true stories, I didn’t like Invincible nearly as much as I thought I would. The main reason is the fact that Papale’s character never once showed that he was overcome with excitement or joy at making it to the NFL.
Typically, athletes work their whole lives and make tremendous sacrifices to achieve their dream of playing ball at the professional level. That sort of lifelong struggle makes any success that much sweeter. But Papale, as played by Wahlberg, seemed almost nonchalant about the whole thing. He tried out for the team on a whim and ended up making it. The only extra “sacrifice” he had to make, according to the way the story was filmed, was that he ran a little more each day. That’s it.
Then, when he made the team, there was one brief celebratory scene that was about as subdued as my grandfather’s 85th birthday party. Where was the joy, the disbelief, the sense of accomplishment?
Contrast Papale’s journey with, say, Daniel Reuttiger of Rudy fame. The whole film was about Rudy’s hard work and sacrifices to play football for Notre Dame. And even though he just made it on the field for two plays in a game that was already decided, Rudy became an inspiring hero to thousands. Why? Because of all the heart, soul, and determination he put into making his dream come true.
According to this film, playing football in the NFL was never Papale’s dream, just a decision he made because he had nothing better to do on that Saturday afternoon when the Eagles held open tryouts. As a result, he didn’t have much of a reaction when he made the team — and neither will viewers.
Overall, Invincible is a mediocre sports film that falls well short of being inspiring or even entertaining. I was very disappointed in the final product, and give the movie just 4.5 stars out of 10.