I took my 9-year-old son to watch this film in the theaters. He was not impressed. We bought the DVD recently, too. Still, he does not care to see it. He thinks the film is about football. But he forgets that I don't care much for football, either. So what is it about this film that moves a sports agnostic to purchase it on DVD?

I've been a Mark Wahlberg fan since Rock Star (with the exception of Planet of the Apes, a horrible film IMHO), and Wahlberg is perfect for the role of Vince Papale, the bartender and substitute teacher who gets the chance to try out and then play for the Philadelphia Eagles in the mid-1970s. Wahlberg's talents and physical presence (seems he bulked up for this film) all help make his role convincing. Based on a true story, Invincible also stars Greg Kinnear and Elizabeth Banks (she appears in the Spider-Man films as J. Jameson's secretary who lends Pete money, you might recall), and features Michael Rispoli, Kevin Conway, Kirk Acevedo, Dov Davidoff, and Michael Kelly, all perfect for their roles. There are no sour notes in any of the performances in this film.

The film succeeds because of its authenticity: not only does each actor/actress play his/her part convincingly, but also the sets, wardrobe, automobiles, and general atmosphere of hard times all make the movie feel like the 1970s Philadelphia I might imagine (from my youth of that same period, but not in Philly). It has been written elsewhere that the NFL provided its full support for the film, including extensive research, to help make the film as authentic and true to Papale's story as possible. The result is a film where I can fully suspend my disbelief and completely immerse myself in the story brought to life. (Though others have noticed goofs and guffaws, usually with equipment or products not available in the 1970s, the casual viewer will likely never notice these discrepancies.)

Many in the audience must surely feel as I do: that the film is as close to actually witnessing these events firsthand as possibly any film might be. It is well done, with well-paced effective storytelling and solid performances, without any extravagant or gratuitous special effects. If there are any special effects in the film, I have noticed none of them, which is just another testament to the craftsmanship that has gone into this film.

If you're a football fan, you'll enjoy Invincible. It is, after all, about football. If you and your sons and daughters enjoy football, this is a movie you can share as a family. Perhaps you even remember watching the real Vince Papale in the 1970s.

But Invincible is about more than football, and this is the characteristic that the audience and reviewers latch onto and talk about using many different synonyms, and what my 9-year-old son does not yet understand.

My undergraduate creative writing instructor, John Gilgun, once discussed Quality. The same Quality that Robert Pirsig seeks to understand, define and express in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. There are many sides to Quality, but at its center it is performance for the sake of performance. For Vince Papale, Quality manifests itself in his performance and attitude on the football field. For Dick Vermeil, Quality manifests itself in his performance as a football coach throughout his career.

Quality is about persistence in the face of adversity, about continuing bravely against all odds whatever the consequences, about doing well that which must be done well because that is the only way for it to be done. In the film, Greg Kinnear as Dick Vermeil tells his wife that Papale has character, the kind of character he can build a team around. That is Quality.

In the film, Vince Papale's ex-wife has left him with her clear, personal assessment of his future (failure), but Papale keeps this note in his locker at the Eagle's training camp, and eventually tears it up when her opinion of him no longer matters to him, when he has chosen to cast aside what she has thought of him (and possibly also molded him to be, I think), and he has chosen to do his best despite the people, including his fellow Eagles, who would have him quit, give up, and return to bartending and substitute teaching. This scene is one of my favorites in the film. All future choices, all future responsibilities, are now Vince's, and Vince's alone. To continue into that unknown territory, without the comfort of all that is familiar, is another manifestation of Quality.

If one watches for it, Quality is apparent throughout the film. Vince's friends, despite the hard times that have befallen all of them, encourage him to try out for the Eagles, and then continue to encourage him as he survives training camp each week. They believe in him completely, and their affections for him do not depend on his success or failure. They support and love him, whatever happens.

This is the lesson I find in Invincible, and the lesson that I would like my son and my other children to learn. For people of Quality, great things can happen. Not everyone can play for the NFL after open tryouts, but even something as simple as supporting the dreams of others can lead to great things. Like playing for the NFL, like Vince Papale.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD