Invincible
Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: August 25, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
10
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen 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
The A.V. ClubScott 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
Chicago TribuneMichael 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
New York Daily NewsElizabeth 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 ObserverLawrence Toppman
Another surefire sports biography from Disney. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
One gigantic pile of cornball clichés, but there's no denying the movie works you over anyway. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie 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 PostKyle Smith
It has grit. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
The movie contains few surprises but has plenty of heart. Read full review
70
Village VoiceRobert 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
VarietyRobert 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
The Hollywood ReporterKirk 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
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
Core has a touch with actors, too, and there are surprisingly fine performances here. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoanne Kaufman
Audiences will be rooting for him all the way to the end zone.
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Wahlberg is effective in the role and carries the movie nicely. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia 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 MagazineMaitland 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 GlobeWesley Morris
Has the problem of drifting in and out of authenticity. Read full review
60
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
Invincible counters its predictably inspirational trajectory with close attention to historical detail and blue-collar hardship. Read full review
60
Washington PostAnn 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
60
Film ThreatRick Kisonak
A touching, stirring story even if it has been given the Hollywood treatment. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianMarc 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
ReelViewsJames 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
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Invincible is like a thick, sweaty slab of NFL comfort food. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The genre shows serious signs of wear in this needlessly fictionalized feature about Vince Papale. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
The movie is shamelessly manipulative. Read full review
50
SalonStephanie 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
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