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Movies
INVINCIBLE
RADIO
INVINCIBLE
Invincible is the true of Vince Papale,
a 30-year-old part-time teacher and bartender
from South Philadelphia who reluctantly
went to an open tryout for the Philadelphia
Eagles in 1976, the same year that a little
film called Rocky was showing the world
that guts and heart could win the day.
Effortlessly capturing the look and feel
of the blue collar Philadelphia streets
in the troubled 1970’s, with their
unemployment, strikes and hopelessness,
Invincible is genuinely inspiring in its
ordinary tale of extraodinary circumstances.
Vince Papale is a down-on-his-luck
working stiff who has virtually given
up on the American Dream. His wife has
left him, he can’t pay his rent
and his spirit has been crushed. The only
thing he and his unemployed buddies can
do well is play pickup football, so when
the Eagles hold tryouts, he gets pushed
into going, with no real hope of success.
Chosen from hundreds of
hopefuls, Papale knew that he was simply
the best of a ratpack of out-of-shape
fanatics and part of a publicity stunt
designed by new Eagles coach Dick Vermeil
(Greg Kinnear) to instill some much-needed
energy into a losing team. But, like the
fictional Rocky Balboa, Papale had the
stuff to go the distance. Against all
the odds, he went on to actually earn
a place on the team and, more importantly,
in the hearts of the tough-as-nails Philly
football fanatics.
As Dick Vermeil, Greg Kinnear
is a tough but fair-minded dead ringer
for the coach who gave Philly sports a
re-birth of pride and passion. And as
Vince Papale, Mark Wahlberg is a man of
constantly conflicting emotions, who knows
he has the heart and muscle but not the
training or the youth necessary to do
right by his teammates. That he finds
the courage and strength to do the job
is no surprise, but that Wahlberg is so
totally convincing is. Doing most of his
own gridiron stunts with style and sincerity,
he virtually becomes Vince Papale, quietly
making us pull for him and cheering him
on to his well-deserved personal victory.
Touching, believable and
exhilarating, Invincible may be Rocky-lite,
but - especially in these far-too-cynical
times - that’s good enough for 4
tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie Scale.
104 minutes
Rated PG for some violent sports action
and some mild language. Suitable for all
ages.
RADIO
Set in the 1970's and inspired
by a true story, "Radio" stars
Cuba Gooding, Jr. as a mentally-challenged
young man who spends his days hanging
around the local high school football
field in his small South Carolina town.
Sweet and harmless, he can always be seen
pushing a shopping cart and listening
to his portable radio wherever he goes.
Although they often make fun of him, most
of the townspeople are friendly to Radio.
But after he's attacked by some local
jocks, Coach Jones, played by Ed Harris,
begins to take a protective interest in
him. Under his gentle guidance, Radio
begins to come out of his shell and, eventually,
he becomes an unofficial mascot for the
football team. For the first time in his
life, he begins to feel needed and his
genuine enthusiasm and sheer joy at finally
belonging inspire the team to victory.
Eventually, he takes on more and more
responsibility for the team, moving from
the head cheerleader, to assistant coach
and finally team manager. Decades later,
he continues to work for and inspire the
team he loves.
While specially challenged people like
Radio tend to make us re-examine the things
we take for granted about ourselves, they
also remind us that kindness, compassion
and hope can make the difference between
winning and losing and that feeling like
a winner has far more to do with the heart
than the mind. As a life-lesson, "Radio"
is a winner... a film with enough heart
for 4 tickets out of 5 on the Mr. Movie
Scale.
