Invincible tells the story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), a local bartender who succeeds at becoming a Philadelphia Eagles walk-on in the mid-70’s.

With the team suffering through another losing season, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) is brought in as head coach. Vermeil, plucked from coaching at the college level, announces open tryouts for the residents of Philadelphia in search of a saving grace, and to shake up the team; both roles ultimately fulfilled by Papale.

That’s it. That’s the story. The movie remains adamantly focused on this, and never waivers from telling of Papale’s success with making the team versus saving the franchise from its dismal record. For this, the movie becomes an instant classic.

One major flaw is that the film is highly predictable, especially if one was alive through this ordeal. However, its feel-good format superbly works in the end. It leaves the viewer with a fuzzy feeling in their stomach, and this take-away is worthy of forgiveness.

To break the monotony of whether or not he makes the team, there are minor sub-stories intertwined. Elizabeth Banks plays the love interest and gives us the gift of a beautiful blonde bartender every few scenes. Kevin Conway plays Papa Papale, and a father-son relationship story is born. But again, the viewer forgives these trespasses because these side struggles further develop Papale’s character, and the story segments merge to produce one heck of a great feel-good story.

My only complaint about the film is the ever-present Yellow/Brow filter used to create a dismal feeling. I think this monochromatic hue is overused, though it successfully portrays the feeling at the time. Philadelphia is stuck in a mire of a losing football team, union strikes running rampant, and overall low spirits. However, I was tempted more than once to adjust the color or my television, as it becomes more of a distraction than a thematic subject.

But in the end, I have one piece of advice: gather the family up and watch this movie. It’s an instant classic, and should be filed on the shelves with such football greats as Remember the Titans and Friday Night Lights.

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