the Mind’s Chew Toy

Although there are way too many football movies (and now even a TV show, Friday Night Lights), Invincible still caught our attention. Based on the true story of South Philly’s Vince Papale, it looked worth seeing.

Since it is a Disney flick, however, it may be just another one of those feel-good fluff films they keep making, aka Miracle and other flops like that - all heart, no substance. So we decided to wait until Invincible hit DVD to answer the question in our minds: would Invincible be just another bit of inspirational fluff, or had Disney dug a little deeper this time?

Despite his model/rapper origins, Mark Wahlberg has definitely made a name for himself as an actor. At first, he stuck with basic roles (Fear) and did a good job in those mindless flicks. Then he graduated on to the much acclaimed Boogie Nights (a movie that never did seem to live up to all the hype) and managed to do a decent job in that as well. Over his career, he slowly delved into more complex roles, although occasionally back-sliding into simpler stuff, with films like The Big Hit and Planet Of The Apes.

With Invincible, Wahlberg takes on what could be one of his toughest roles, at least in the eyes of Philadelphia football fans, as he portrays one of their hometown heroes on the big screen, Vince Papale. Maybe because of the friendship he made with Vince while on the set of the film, or maybe just because he really got into character, he does a good job of portraying this down-to-earth guy with a dream.

For non-Philadelphians who may not know the story, Wahlberg helps ease them into the film, as he goes from being a bartender and school teacher to becoming legend. Through it all, he manages to stick to his roots, and his care for his friends is easily apparent. Whether he’s in what seems to be an impossible situation or whether he’s hanging out with his friends, he always knows where his roots are, and he never forgets it. But he never lets it hold him back, either, in accomplishing his dreams.

So, sure, Invincible is an inspirational flick, and Disney is known for being able to make those, but does the storyline and characters back this one up, or is it all filler before the big ending sequence? With the help of Mark Wahlberg and friends, the actors are worth watching throughout and thankfully, the storyline is worth watching as well. This is one inspirational film where the path to the goal is as interesting as the goal itself.

With movies “based on true stories”, too often the movie goes so far from the real thing it’s almost unrecognizable. A lot of films tend to use the “true story” as a launching point, and never seem to look back to realize how far from reality they’ve gotten. With Invincible, they do try to stick to the truth, but embellish a bit, especially near the end.

Thankfully, the DVD includes a look back at the true story, with video and interviews with Vince Papale and Dick Vermeil, among others. This is a great feature that all “based on a true story” films need to include. It’s great to watch the film, then check out what actually happened, with old video footage and the like. It increases the viewer’s interest in the story, making a re-viewing of the film a much more likely possibility.

With this footage, Invincible’s DVD helps this movie tremendously, turning a decent film into something more interesting. With Wahlberg’s decent performance, plus that look back, Invincible is worth your time. Watch the film, then check out the bonus feature, and you might find yourself thinking about adding Invincible to your collection.