THE STORY: From the studio that brought you “The Rookie” and “Remember The Titans” comes INVINCIBLE, inspired by the true story of Vince Papale (MARK WAHLBERG), a man with nothing to lose who ignored the staggering odds and made his dream come true. When the coach (GREG KINNEAR) of Papale’s beloved hometown football team hosted an unprecedented open tryout, the public consensus was that it was a waste of time — no one good enough to play professional football was going to be found this way. Certainly no one like Papale — a down-on-his-luck, 30 year-old, substitute teacher and part-time bartender who never even played college football. But against these odds, Papale made the team and soon found himself living every fan’s fantasy — moving from his cheap seats in the upper deck to standing on the field as a professional football player.
THE REVIEW: Disney leads the way with inspiring sports movies: Miracle, Remember The Titans, and The Rookie. Now they have added Invincible to a line-up of “true stories.” We aren’t disputing that much of the film actually happened—its how much Disney glorifies everything to the uppermost degree. The sappiness of the story can be extremely aggravating—but it tends to win you over.
If you watch Invincible from the strict standpoint of being a monumental movie you’ll never enjoy it. However, if you watch it with the idea that Invincible has a message we all give our kids about how dreams come true—ala the Disney theme song—than you realize there is value in the story.
FRANKLY: Invincible is no Rocky—but it does have an almost identical message right down to the locale. Invincible is about dreams and how greatness means stepping out of the crowd—even if it doesn’t mean being the greatest. It’s about taking chances and because dreams never come true without taking a chance in the first place.
+ Charlie Craine
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