INVINCIBLE

You know, if Invincible was a music genre, it would be adult contemporary. It’s easy-going, kind of warm, a little nostalgic and completely middle-of-the-road. In this case, that’s not a bad thing.

In the same vein as The Rookie and set in the late-1970s, the formulaic but enjoyable film tells the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a 30-year-old unemployed teacher and dedicated football fan, who gets the chance to lace up his cleats and play with the Philadelphia Eagles after an open tryout engineered by new team coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear). See, the Eagles have been sucking royally on the field, so Vermeil figures, “What the hell. Let’s see what the city has to offer!” It begins as a PR ploy to attract fans and, perhaps, improve the team’s image in the eyes of Philadelphia residents, but when Vermeil spots Papale’s inherent gridiron talents, the publicity exercise becomes an opportunity of a lifetime.

In real life, Papale played with the Eagles for three seasons, and the movie covers his inaugural year on the team. The story follows a traditional sports-movie arc: a skeptical Papale tries out, is amazed when he makes the team, meets with resistance from the veteran players (who view him as nothing more than a show pony), delights his pals (including Michael Rispoli and Kirk Acevedo) by landing a spot in the NFL and develops a romance with a sassy bartender named Janet (Elizabeth Banks), who – of course – is a sparkplug and hardcore football fan. Oh, and there’s the requisite Big Game where the much-ballyhooed rookie has to prove his mettle.

Wahlberg is always good, even when he’s above the material, and it’s a credit to him as an actor that the film is as compelling as it is. His Vince is a lovable oaf with a big heart and a clear dream, so it’s not hard to root for him on and off the field. Banks is good in her somewhat limited role (when will this woman get the starring vehicle she deserves??), but I would have loved to have seen more of her character. Alas, this is a movie targeted at boys, so I suppose it’s only fair that the lone girl gets sidelined for much of the film. And Greg Kinnear is fine in the Greg-Kinnear role.

It will come as a surprise to no one that this is a feel-good movie about an underdog triumphing over circumstance…not to mention his own aging body…so you know Papale’s gonna make every cut  there is. At the same time, this isn’t Rudy and its cinematic recipe for drama isn’t quite as heartfelt and winning as the Sean Astin film. But, all things considered, it’s a nice film that should, like adult contemporary music, offend no one and please many.