Great movie for the family and football fans
Written: Aug 30 '06
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Clean, sports-focused, solidly acted entertainment
Cons: Not enough game-level sports reenactment
The Bottom Line: Enjoyable, low-stress entertainment for the family and sports-lovers
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| fskinner's Full Review: Invincible |
I took my 12 and 9 year old boys to the opening showing of this movie about an unemployed Eagle's fan who makes the team in the 1970's. We are all sports fanatics and I was thrilled to see the rating on this movie was one where I didn't have to practice my "well, we don't use those words" speech.
Mark Wahlberg really comes across as a beaten down, angry Philadelphian of the 1970's. It is both a combination of his acting and the production of this movie really giving you that feel throughout. Truthfully, he looks more at home sitting on the barstool spending his evenings with his buddies than he does on the football field. But, overall, it works.
Greg Kinnear steps into the Vermeil role evenly. Not a great deal of passion comes through but the movie isn't really about Vermeil, so any overacting on Kinnear's part wouldn't be appreciated. He did a fine job knowing his role.
The scenes with the two of them together are few and brief but easily the most emotional of the movie. If you can watch the scene where Kinnear tells Wahlberg he's made the team without getting a chill or emotional reaction, you're numb.
The other supporting cast members aren't really built up anymore than supportive friends and family to the Wahlberg character. They do their job unremarkably but solid.
There were a couple of instances where the director used slow motion to emphasize a scene or point. It wasn't overdone or overused - just a couple of poignant sports moments. Some directors can get carried away with that stuff (ie. "The Greatest Game Ever Played") but not here.
There weren't as many football game scenes as I expected (or would have liked). The actual game-playing was too short, tucked in at the end. What they had was exciting but too brief. That's one of the reason's we liked "Miracle" so much because it had a lot of hockey playing in there, as well as the development of the team and characters. The bulk of "Invincible" takes us through Wahlberg's rise to making the team. Although, when we came home and looked up the facts, I guess they showed the best there was to show without completely deviating from fact.
Not that they absolutely stuck to the facts. For entertainment value, the movie says he made the team as a result of an open try-out when in fact he was given a private try-out.
Overall, my review of this movie is that it is entertaining and enjoyable, especially when you see it with your kids (if they like sports). If my boys were writing this, they'd tell you it was fabulous - "10 stars, Mom". You're not getting Academy Award winning stuff here - just a great 2 hours of entertainment.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Family Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
fskinner
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Reviews written: 42
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