"INVINCIBLE" — *** — Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks; rated PG (violence, vulgarity, mild profanity).
"Invincible" is the latest in a string of sports-related dramas produced by Disney's live-action filmmaking arm, after "Remember the Titans" (2000), "The Rookie" (2002) and "Miracle" (2004). Each is formulaic, with appealing feel-good elements and a big star in the lead role.
By now, that formula is starting to wear a bit thin, though "Invincible," a football drama, is certainly better and more entertaining than the basketball tale "Glory Road," which was released earlier this year.
"Invincible" is the nickname for Vincent Papale, a thirtysomething bartender who played for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 1970s. Mark Wahlberg stars as Papale in this fictionalized version of events.
Like others living in economically depressed Philly, Vince is a huge Eagles fan and he's been let down by the team's perennial losing streak. But there's hope with a new coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), who is a proven winner on the college level.
Vermeil takes a unique step when he announces plans to hold open tryouts for the team. Vince's co-workers and friends urge him to give it a shot, since he's been the star of their pickup league games. Vince does have a great workout, but he's surprised when, out of many hopefuls, he's the only one invited to the team's training camp. Once in camp, he's constantly expecting to get cut from the team, but instead, he actually makes the opening-day roster.
This material is fairly predictable (especially for those with knowledge of the Eagles team), and the film ends rather abruptly. But cinematographer-turned-director Ericson Core and screenwriter Brad Gann do get a little more mileage out of all this than you might expect.
It certainly doesn't hurt that the usually dour Wahlberg lightens up a bit here. It's nice to see him drop his usual glowering act and offer a few smiles.
As for Kinnear, he may not sound or look like Vermeil, but he's still appealing enough to deserve a little more screen time. Ditto Elizabeth Banks, who plays a New York Giants fan drawing some of Vince's attention.
"Invincible" is rated PG for sports-related violence (various hits, as well as some brawling), some vulgar references and gestures, and scattered use of mild profanity (mostly religiously based). Running time: 108 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com