'Invincible' reviewed
Sports bigamy is a serious offense.
I actually can't think of a worse crime a sports fan can commit. And I'm not talking about writing your home team off for a viable reason - much like I have done to the Indians this year - I'm talking about writing the Indians off and rooting for the Red Sox. You just DON'T do that.
Having said that, I can specifically think of one glaring example when sports bigamy would be acceptable. If you have a close friend, high school or college teammate or a relative who plays for another team in any sport, then and ONLY then is it acceptable to root against your home team.
For example, If one of my high school teammates at Midpark had gone on to play for the Detroit Lions, it would be perfectly acceptable for me to root for said teammate when the Lions came to Cleveland for a game.
Why am I explaining all this? Because this subject happens to be my one stinging criticism of the movie, 'Invincible' - thats why.
Without spoiling the movie for anyone, a love interest of Vince Papale, played by Mark Wahlberg, is a Giants fan from New York. Nothing wrong with that. But when she attends a game in which Papale is PLAYING FOR the Eagles, donning Giants gear and rooting for the men in blue obnoxiously amidst chagrined Eagles fans, that is about as tasteless as Wheaties with no sugar sprinkled on them.
As far as the rest of the movie goes, it was very well done. I loved the feel of city life in Philadelphia circa 1975-76. Greg Kinnear turns in a fantastic portrayal of Dick Vermeil - as chef Gordon Ramsey would say, "Spot on!"
The game scenes were spectacular. My heart hate was significantly elevated during certain points.
It didn't spark my emotions quit like Rudy did, a movie Invincible has most commonly been compared to. But it did have a few Bill Simmons' "chill scenes."
As far as historical accuracy goes, the filmakers didn't seem to take too many liberties to add dramatic effect. While watching clips of the real Papale at the culmination of the movie, however, I noticed Papale was rather tall and lanky. When I looked him up later, I found out he was actually 6 foot 2 inches tall. Its kind of a stretch to have a 5 foot 8 Wahlberg, who is built more like a running back than a receiver, playing him.
Other than that, it was difficult to find much else to complain about. True sports fans will always approach sports flicks with a hint of skepticism. But "Invincible" does not disappoint. It didn't approach "Rudy" proportions for me, but certainly an enjoyable football movie that did not make me cringe like past duds such as "Any Given Sunday" or "The REplacements."
final rating: 8.5 out of 10.
I actually can't think of a worse crime a sports fan can commit. And I'm not talking about writing your home team off for a viable reason - much like I have done to the Indians this year - I'm talking about writing the Indians off and rooting for the Red Sox. You just DON'T do that.
Having said that, I can specifically think of one glaring example when sports bigamy would be acceptable. If you have a close friend, high school or college teammate or a relative who plays for another team in any sport, then and ONLY then is it acceptable to root against your home team.
For example, If one of my high school teammates at Midpark had gone on to play for the Detroit Lions, it would be perfectly acceptable for me to root for said teammate when the Lions came to Cleveland for a game.
Why am I explaining all this? Because this subject happens to be my one stinging criticism of the movie, 'Invincible' - thats why.
Without spoiling the movie for anyone, a love interest of Vince Papale, played by Mark Wahlberg, is a Giants fan from New York. Nothing wrong with that. But when she attends a game in which Papale is PLAYING FOR the Eagles, donning Giants gear and rooting for the men in blue obnoxiously amidst chagrined Eagles fans, that is about as tasteless as Wheaties with no sugar sprinkled on them.
As far as the rest of the movie goes, it was very well done. I loved the feel of city life in Philadelphia circa 1975-76. Greg Kinnear turns in a fantastic portrayal of Dick Vermeil - as chef Gordon Ramsey would say, "Spot on!"
The game scenes were spectacular. My heart hate was significantly elevated during certain points.
It didn't spark my emotions quit like Rudy did, a movie Invincible has most commonly been compared to. But it did have a few Bill Simmons' "chill scenes."
As far as historical accuracy goes, the filmakers didn't seem to take too many liberties to add dramatic effect. While watching clips of the real Papale at the culmination of the movie, however, I noticed Papale was rather tall and lanky. When I looked him up later, I found out he was actually 6 foot 2 inches tall. Its kind of a stretch to have a 5 foot 8 Wahlberg, who is built more like a running back than a receiver, playing him.
Other than that, it was difficult to find much else to complain about. True sports fans will always approach sports flicks with a hint of skepticism. But "Invincible" does not disappoint. It didn't approach "Rudy" proportions for me, but certainly an enjoyable football movie that did not make me cringe like past duds such as "Any Given Sunday" or "The REplacements."
final rating: 8.5 out of 10.
posted by Jon Sladek at 6:25 AM
2 Comments:
It was a pretty good movie, but I know we both were cringing when she cheered against her significant other. That's just wrong.
And what exactly was wrong with the Replacements?
Post a Comment
<< Home