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Invincible

Fri., Aug. 25, 2006 12:00 AM PDT

"That's sacred ground there, pal," Vince Papale (Mark Walhberg) is cautioned as he steps onto the hallowed sod of the Philadelphia Eagles. Circa 1976, new NFL coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) attempts to break the team's long-standing losing streak by holding open tryouts for the dispirited team.

Against all odds, including the cutthroat derision of the real football players, the down-and-out bartender makes training camp. Vermeil, UCLA's golden-boy coach, finds himself working for the toughest fans in the NFL; envy wrestles with hope amongst Papale's friends. Soul and character win out for both, Papale makes the team and goes on to play three seasons with the Eagles.

In a movie, the beloved underdog theme always hits more neurotransmitters when it's based on a real person. Complicity from the NFL and delicate camerawork on the field lend Invincible valuable authenticity.

Greg Kinnear could hack the heads off babies, and you'd still get all syrupy over his baby blues. Wahlberg's everyman-makes-good musk, so pungent in Three Kings and Metal God, is so piquant one can abhor football and still find Invincible inspiring.
--Skylaire Alfvegren