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Trust Weighted
Great
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83Trust Points
Wick's Review
Summary - Great 4.0
Invincible is a great football movie, tough yet sensitive in a manly sort of way. Relationships between fathers and sons and buddies and girls-who-wear-jerseys are all well mined for emotional wallop.
The movie has added resonance for those of us familiar with Philly and the 70s, especially Philly in the 70s. The music (Nugent, Edgar Winter, et. al.), The Vet, the plaid slacks, it’s all here in its funky glory.
Acting - Very Good 3.5
Nice work by a bevy of charismatic stars, especially Mark Wahlberg, in one of his patented self-effacing performances, and Greg Kinnear as real life coach Dick Vermeil. The women in their lives are attractively and intelligently played by Elizabeth Banks and Paige Turco.
Male Stars - Very Good 3.5
Female Stars - Very Good 3.5
Female Costars - Very Good 3.5
Male Costars - Very Good 3.5
Film - Great 4.0
Well produced football action, combined with the feel of the importance of football to down-on-their-luck blue collar fans, make this more than just a trite movie.
Direction - Very Good 3.5
Dialogue - Great 4.0
Surprisingly savvy dialogue proves affecting and engaging.Music - Perfect 5.0
Great selection of '70's rock: BTO's _Let It Ride,_ Steely Dan's _Do It Again,_ Carol King's _It's Too Late,_ _How Long_ by Ace, and most especially Ted Nugent's _Stranglehold_ and Edgar Winter's _Free Ride._ Who said 70's music sucked?Visuals - Great 4.0
The Italian ethnic enclave of South Philly is shown to great effect, as is the cold upper reaches of the Vet.Edge - Tame 1.5
Hard football hits are well shown. As for the salty language, you got a problem?
Sex Innocent 1.3
Violence Fierce 1.6
Rudeness Salty 1.7
Reality - Glib 1.3
So it turns out that the real Vince Papale was 6’ 2", some 7" taller than the movie star shrimp who plays him as the ultimate underdog. Further, he played two successful years on the Eagles’ minor league team before getting a personal try-out invitation from Dick Vermeil, not the cattle call depicted in the film.
Finally, Papale emerged from Prospect Park, not from the more urban South Philly depicted in the movie.