Invincible (2006)

Director:

Ericson Core

Writer (WGA):

Brad Gann (written by)

Release Date:

25 August 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Dreams are not lived on the sidelines

Plot:

Based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.

Plot Keywords:

Philadelphia Eagles | Nfl | Bartender | American Football | Sports Team

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Mark Wahlberg	...	Vince Papale
Greg Kinnear	...	Dick Vermeil
Elizabeth Banks	...	Janet Cantrell
Kevin Conway	...	Frank Papale
Michael Rispoli	...	Max Cantrell
Kirk Acevedo	...	Tommy
Dov Davidoff	...	Johnny
Michael Kelly	...	Pete
Sal Darigo	...	Mick
Nicoye Banks	...	TJ Banks
Turron Kofi Alleyne	...	Ronnie Sampson
Cosmo DeMatteo	...	Dean German
Stink Fisher	...	Denny Franks
Michael Mulheren	...	AC Craney
Michael Nouri	...	Leonard Tose

Also Known As:

Who's Nuts Invincible (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sports action and some mild language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:G | USA:PG (certificate #42738) | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Germany:6 | South Korea:All | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Franklin Field - 235 S. 33rd Street, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

Many of the former Eagles gave permission for Disney to use their names for this production.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Janet is in the bar talking about Sam Huff's statistics, she states that he led the Giants to the Championship games in 1956, '58, '59, '61, '62 and '63. When Tommy challenges her with "How many championships they win?", Vince states "The big goose egg." In fact, the Giants won the NFL Championship in 1956 by defeating the Chicago Bears 47 to 7.

Quotes:

Janet Cantrell: Hey, I grew up with five brothers, but I have no problem hitting a girl.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shooter (2007/I)

Soundtrack:

Autumn

Standard Underdog Pic

Somewhat loosely based on a true story, INVINCIBLE is your standard root-for-the-underdog sports movie, nothing more, nothing less. Mark Wahlberg is Vince Papale, a beefy touch football player/bartender who struts his stuff at an open tryout for the Philadelphia Eagles. Overcoming tremendous odds, Papale cracks the roster after earning the faith of rookie coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear).

INVINCIBLE probably would have been better as a less family-friendly film. Everything happens so cleanly in this Disney pic that it loses some of its realism and credibility. The audience may also feel cheated given the extreme liberties the writers took with the Papale story, including a complete disregard for his pro pigskin experience, fabricating an open-to-the-public tryout and the invention of a "you won't amount to anything" note from Papale's former partner. No bio pic is 100 per cent truthful, but this is going a bit too far.

While there is a certain charm and inspirational underpinning to INVINCIBLE, it can't hold a handle to many of the other entries of the same genre. It's one of those movies that can be summed up with four words: good but never great. The performances are good but never great. The direction is good but never great. The list goes on. Junior high-aged kids will probably appreciate this one the most.