Review: Mark Walberg not so ‘Invincible’ in Disney’s lastest sports attempt
For those of you who adore Mark Wahlberg (“The Italian Job”) there are plenty of opportunities in this film to watch him run in slow motion. And for those of you who can’t stand Mark Wahlberg there are plenty of opportunities in this film to watch him get tackled, hard.
This is probably the greatest content that “Invincible” has to offer. Everything else that we see in this film is boring, lackluster and prosaic.
Sadly, those wacky Disney producers won’t shut down the never-ending conveyor belt of underdog sports movies based on a true story.
They just keep coming and coming. And, presumably, the masses will keep going and going.
Mostly an accomplished cinematographer, the director, Ericson Core (whose only other directing experience comes from the short-lived sitcom “Family Law”), delivers some exciting and intimate views of the bone-crushing action on the football field. But off the field, most viewers will find it a challenge to pay attention.
Wahlberg plays the real-life character of Vince Papale, an ordinary man trying to get by during the employment and economical crisis of the 1970s in Philadelphia.
His only outlets for enjoyment are playing football with his friends, including Tommy played by Kirk Acevedo (“The New World”), or watching the Philadelphia Eagles professional football team. Vince hasn’t gotten much joy from the latter lately since the Eagles have been playing more and more horribly with each passing season.
Miraculously, the tides turn for the Eagles as a new coach is brought into town (Greg Kinnear, “Little Miss Sunshine”) who announces that tryouts for the Eagles will be held free and open to the public. What is initially planned as a publicity stunt turns into something more hopeful as Vince is encouraged by his friends to tryout for the team. Can you guess what happens next?
Like some of Disney’s previous sports films (the most memorable being 2004’s “Miracle” and 2000’s “Remember the Titans”), “Invincible” provides a well-balanced mixture of sports action with accurate historical and cultural background. Everything in the production design reminds you that you’re in the 1970s.
And thanks to the director’s experience as a cinematographer (on such films as “Daredevil” and “The Fast and the Furious”) the camera angels and lighting are striking but not overbearing.
This makes “Invincible” a comparatively dark film in visual terms. All of the physical environments seem to exist in dim street lamps and shadows until we reach the professional football field full of glaring lights and white football jerseys.
All of these things are good, but they’re not enough to save this film from being so forgettable. The performances from all the actors, Wahlberg included, seem so weary and monotonous that none of the characters are compelling. So we don’t care very much about what happens to these people. And since we already know how the story will end, there’s little excitement or anticipation.
“Invincible” is a good film for football fans, but the poorly-crafted storytelling and drab characters make it ineffectual.
Casey T. Allen is the Statesman’s movie critic. His reviews will appear weekly in the Diversions section. Comments and can be sent to caseyal@cc.usu.edu.