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Invincible
Buena Vista Pictures / Walt Disney Pictures

Invincible reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 63 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.9 out of 10
based on 28 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 54 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: PG for sports action and some mild language

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway, Michael Rispoli, Kirk Acevedo, Dov Davidoff, and Michael Kelly

Invincible is inspired by the true story of Vince Papale (Wahlberg), a man with nothing to lose who ignore the staggering odds and made his dream come true. (Disney)


GENRE(S): Drama  
WRITTEN BY: Brad Gann  
DIRECTED BY: Ericson Core  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: December 19, 2006 
Theatrical: August 25, 2006 
RUNNING TIME: 106 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Wahlberg, with shaggy hair and a pumped bod he wears more convincingly than any actor, plays Vince as a guy who truly doesn't expect to win. That makes his rib-bruising triumph all the more believable and touching.
Read Full Review
75
Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
The actors make it work. Greg Kinnear's Coach Vermeil exudes Southern California good vibrations without a lot of fuss or attitude.
Read Full Review
75
The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Sure, the unlikely ascendance of 30-year-old Vince Papale from working-class suds-pumper to Philadelphia Eagles benchwarmer is a victory for the little guy, but it's still more of a personal victory, and that's what makes it touching.
Read Full Review
75
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
So yes, you'll roll your eyes when the coach defies Papale's naysayers by insisting that "he has heart." But if there's a single surprise on this familiar field, it's that the movie does, too.
Read Full Review
75
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Another surefire sports biography from Disney.
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75
Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
One gigantic pile of cornball clichés, but there's no denying the movie works you over anyway.
Read Full Review
75
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Core, a cinematographer who helms both camera and directorial duties here, creates a vivid sense of time and place without letting the period music, clothes or art direction intrude. The performances are likewise understated and unpretentious, especially those of Wahlberg and Kinnear.
Read Full Review
75
New York Post Kyle Smith
It has grit.
Read Full Review
75
Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
The movie contains few surprises but has plenty of heart.
Read Full Review
70
The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
A neatly packaged Walt Disney Co. picture with bone-crunching football action; a nice sense of the blue-collar, male-dominated milieu that nourishes football fanaticism; and a few too many tugs at the heartstrings.
Read Full Review
70
Wall Street Journal Joanne Kaufman
Audiences will be rooting for him all the way to the end zone.
70
Village Voice Robert Wilonsky
Invincible joins "Rocky" or "Hoosiers" or "Breaking Away" as one of the few satisfying sports movies in which the foundation built upon a heap of clichés holds strong.
Read Full Review
70
Variety Robert Koehler
Handling both directing and cinematography duties, Core invests both with a clearly impassioned sense of place, period and perspective regarding this fanfare for common men.
Read Full Review
70
LA Weekly Scott Foundas
Core has a touch with actors, too, and there are surprisingly fine performances here.
Read Full Review
67
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
Wahlberg is effective in the role and carries the movie nicely.
Read Full Review
63
USA Today Claudia Puig
Invincible doesn't offer any surprises. But it is a well-made, fairly exciting movie that, like its hero, has heart.
Read Full Review
63
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
The film's depiction of life among the salt of the earth is blandly cartoonish; and the "Super Sounds of the '70s" soundtrack meticulously matches songs to action, as though the filmmakers didn't trust viewers to figure out what these one-note characters were feeling.
Read Full Review
63
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Has the problem of drifting in and out of authenticity.
Read Full Review
60
Film Threat Rick Kisonak
A touching, stirring story even if it has been given the Hollywood treatment.
Read Full Review
60
The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
Invincible counters its predictably inspirational trajectory with close attention to historical detail and blue-collar hardship.
Read Full Review
60
Washington Post Ann Hornaday
There's too much slow-mo and too many music cues, but there's a low-key buzz to Wahlberg's scenes with Greg Kinnear.
Read Full Review
58
Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan
Papale's story is more than any fan could dream of, which is why it's frustrating that Invincible feels the need to embellish it. While mentioning he never played football in college, the film ignores that he did play in a semipro league prior to his Eagles tryout.
Read Full Review
50
Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
The movie is straightforward in a way that makes it feel less manipulative than it might.
Read Full Review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jennie Punter
Despite its title, the movie admirably sticks to its game plan of ennobling the everyman as opposed to turning Papale into some kind of Superman.
Read Full Review
50
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Invincible is like a thick, sweaty slab of NFL comfort food.
Read Full Review
50
ReelViews James Berardinelli
From the poor set design to the mediocre acting to the paint-by-numbers screenplay, this is TV fare at best.
Read Full Review
50
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
The genre shows serious signs of wear in this needlessly fictionalized feature about Vince Papale.
Read Full Review
50
San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein
The movie is shamelessly manipulative.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 54 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jack B. gave it an8:
This movie was never going to be some Oscar winning, incredibly original and innovative piece of art but it is certainly entertaining. Not being into American Football i didn't know much about the character but saw a trailer and thought it was worth a watch. It certainly was, Wharlberg played the role well and it was just well made overall. Its true the plot has been done before, man has dream, over comes obstacles, theres a girl, doubts self then gets there in the end...but who doesn't love a story where the underdog wins? To those of you who claim bits are stolen from Rocky...Rocky is fiction, this is based on reality, not all that concretely but its accurate enough. To summarise, good film, good feel good factor, certainly one of the better ones in the genre.

Joe O. gave it a10:
I am a football fan and a fan of life. I loved the movie even though it could have been a little closer to how it really happened. Great movie Great Story!!

Steve K. gave it a7:
Wow, Mark B. on the scout team really has to lighten up. When you watch a movie like this, you know what you are going to get, and for what it is, it is very good. Quit projecting your issues with other movies on this one. If you are not completely jaded and cynical, you can actually enjoy this movie. My one complaint is that Vince is actually a lot more charismatic in real life than the Mark Wahlberg vesion. Watch the featurette in the DVD about the real Vince Pampale and you can tell that this guy has a transcendent lust for life and he relished every minute of his opportunity to be an Iggle. Mark Wahlberg kinda scowls his way through this movie, and it woulda been nice to have a charcater actually enjoy the journey a little bit while it is happening instead of being the kinda "ah shucks, this really isn't going to work out" character that we see. Still though, if you like the feel-good Remember the Titans kinda movies. This one is extremely enjoyable and considerably less corny than Titans.

Noemi M. gave it a10:
My husband and I enjoy it so much, for us this is an excellent movie its help you to realize that people mostly spect lest from theirselves when it should be the contrary, people should figth for their dreams and try to make them come true.

Teri A. gave it a10:
I am sorry for all those who didn't like the movie, but I absolutely loved it. I am not even a football fan. But I felt it showed all the things he must of felt and gone through. It even gave me the strength to go on- And even today-Vince seems down to earth and full of spirit . Iam sure you parents are so proud of you and your family- I absolutely loved the film and even though it does resemble the Rocky films. Perhaps Stallone got the idea from The Vince Papali Story, NOT the other way around as one of your readers suggest. Thanks Vince for sharing your life with the rest of us.

Amber V. gave it a10:
This was an awesome movie. I'm writing a paper on it and the more I learn about the real Vince Papale the more I like it.

Shannon P. gave it a4:
This movie has decent acting, casting, cinematography, and accurately recreates the feel of the mid-70's. Unfortunately, all that can’t save a cliche infected script with some comically artificial dialog. This is a made for ESPN script all the way. Someone was counting on the fact that the homeboys are too downhome to realize it doesn't sound a thing like them. Based on some of the reviews, I say that was a safe bet.

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