Mark Wahlberg has won the hearts of many movie lovers from around the world with movies like Ted, Uncharted, Daddy’s Home, Transformers: Age of Extinction, etc. He has been a phenomenal artist since his debut in 1989 and Invincible is a clear proof of the claim. Even Wahlberg himself considers his role in Invincible as an honor.
Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter
The actor opened up about his role as Vince Papale in one of the most famous movies of 2006. American actor Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg, also known by his former stage name Marky Mark, talks about his experience from the set of one of his most challenging movies, Invincible.
Mark Wahlberg is Proud of Being Cast in Invincible
Mark Wahlberg in a still from Invincible
It’s always a difficult task for any actor to keep pace with the passing years and perform uniformly. Playing active roles after turning 35 isn...
Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter
The actor opened up about his role as Vince Papale in one of the most famous movies of 2006. American actor Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg, also known by his former stage name Marky Mark, talks about his experience from the set of one of his most challenging movies, Invincible.
Mark Wahlberg is Proud of Being Cast in Invincible
Mark Wahlberg in a still from Invincible
It’s always a difficult task for any actor to keep pace with the passing years and perform uniformly. Playing active roles after turning 35 isn...
- 4/1/2024
- by Ankita
- FandomWire
Clockwise from bottom left: Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard (Paramount Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images), Sylvester Stallone and Jamie Foxx in Any Given Sunday (Getty Images), Sean Astin in Rudy (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), Billy Bob Thornton and Garrett Hedlund in Friday Night Lights (Universal Pictures)Graphic: The A.
- 2/9/2024
- by Phil Pirrello
- avclub.com
With an acting career stretching back to 1994, Mark Wahlberg has starred in everything from independent character studies to blockbuster action fare. Often bringing a focused intensity to his performances, Wahlberg parlays his talents into taking on everything from Transformers to super-intelligent apes to effectively playing against type as an earnest comedic foil. Possessing a subtly wide range, Wahlberg has gone on to work with some of the biggest filmmakers in Hollywood, sometimes on multiple projects and often with critical acclaim and box office success.
Wahlberg is at an inevitable stage in his career that defies typecasting and gives him the freedom to choose from a robust variety of projects. And despite his movie star good looks, Wahlberg often maintains an everyman quality that makes him a relatable actor, even as his characters face extraordinary circumstances. Here are the 14 best Mark Wahlberg movies ranked, elevated by his sheer commitment and the...
Wahlberg is at an inevitable stage in his career that defies typecasting and gives him the freedom to choose from a robust variety of projects. And despite his movie star good looks, Wahlberg often maintains an everyman quality that makes him a relatable actor, even as his characters face extraordinary circumstances. Here are the 14 best Mark Wahlberg movies ranked, elevated by his sheer commitment and the...
- 5/20/2023
- by Samuel Stone
- Slash Film
The games don’t count, the starters hardly play and everyone just wants to get through this without hurting themselves. But it’s NFL football, and we’ll take what we can get. The preseason starts Thursday, August 4, at the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, where quarterback Trevor Lawrence (pictured above) and the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Las Vegas Raiders in primetime on NBC. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 is enshrined in Canton August 6 on ESPN and NFL Network. Players Tony Boselli, Cliff Branch, LeRoy Butler, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour and Bryant Young, coach Dick Vermeil, and official Art McNally will have bronze busts added to the pantheon of pigskin greats. HBO’s Hard Knocks documentary series returns August 9, this time following the Detroit Lions’ training camp in Allen Park, Michigan. The Lions went 3-13-1 in head coach Dan Campbell’s first season, but...
- 7/28/2022
- TV Insider
Exclusive: Winter State Entertainment is currently in post-production on Roaf, a feature-length doc on the life of Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Roaf, which will examine his civil rights activism throughout his time in the National Football League.
Roaf’s family played a huge part in history. His mother was named the first Black Supreme Court Justice in Arkansas, appointed by both Democratic and Republican Governors. His father played football for Michigan State after traveling the civil rights-era iteration of the ‘Underground Railroad,’ a clandestine network that helped promising African-American athletes migrate north and escape the segregated south to play college and professional sports. Roaf went on to play in the NFL for both the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs, earning himself 13 Pro-Bowls and eventually ending up in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Oh.
After a prestigious career in pro football, he married business...
Roaf’s family played a huge part in history. His mother was named the first Black Supreme Court Justice in Arkansas, appointed by both Democratic and Republican Governors. His father played football for Michigan State after traveling the civil rights-era iteration of the ‘Underground Railroad,’ a clandestine network that helped promising African-American athletes migrate north and escape the segregated south to play college and professional sports. Roaf went on to play in the NFL for both the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs, earning himself 13 Pro-Bowls and eventually ending up in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Oh.
After a prestigious career in pro football, he married business...
- 7/14/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Okay, so why is ComicMix reviewing a football movie? Well, first of all, we’re a little more than just comics and secondly, it stars Captain Marvel himself, so there’s that.
Besides, it’s about a real-life hero, and who doesn’t love heroes?
Kurt Warner’s story is well worth exploring and the Lionsgate Home Entertainment release of last year’s American Underdog does a fine job recounting the story. For those unfamiliar, Warner was a star at Northern Iowa but spent four years unable to get signed by an NFL team. Finally, the Green Bay Packers signed but released him in 1994. He then played three seasons for the Iowa Barnstormers in the brief-lived Arena Football League before finally making it to the NFL with the St. Louis Rams. Once there, he led what has been dubbed the Greatest Show on Turn, culminating in winning Super Bowl Xxxiv.
Besides, it’s about a real-life hero, and who doesn’t love heroes?
Kurt Warner’s story is well worth exploring and the Lionsgate Home Entertainment release of last year’s American Underdog does a fine job recounting the story. For those unfamiliar, Warner was a star at Northern Iowa but spent four years unable to get signed by an NFL team. Finally, the Green Bay Packers signed but released him in 1994. He then played three seasons for the Iowa Barnstormers in the brief-lived Arena Football League before finally making it to the NFL with the St. Louis Rams. Once there, he led what has been dubbed the Greatest Show on Turn, culminating in winning Super Bowl Xxxiv.
- 3/28/2022
- by Robert Greenberger
- Comicmix.com
Arriving just in time to be an attractive four-quadrant option for family outings to the megaplexes during the holiday season — provided, of course, that the latest Covid surge doesn’t cause another round of movie theater shuttering — “American Underdog” is a thoroughly predictable yet hugely entertaining sports biopic that is bound to please almost anyone who’s not a sourball cynic or a snarky critic.
Much of its appeal stems from Zachary Levi’s winningly sincere portrayal of Kurt Warner, the football phenom whose improbable ascent from grocery clerk to NFL superstar by way of a warmup in the Arena League is the sort of true-life story that seems almost too good to be true, even when it’s told as well as it is here.
But while Levi undeniably is the most valuable player, he likely wouldn’t score quite so impressively without a strong supporting-player team that includes Anna Paquin as Brenda,...
Much of its appeal stems from Zachary Levi’s winningly sincere portrayal of Kurt Warner, the football phenom whose improbable ascent from grocery clerk to NFL superstar by way of a warmup in the Arena League is the sort of true-life story that seems almost too good to be true, even when it’s told as well as it is here.
But while Levi undeniably is the most valuable player, he likely wouldn’t score quite so impressively without a strong supporting-player team that includes Anna Paquin as Brenda,...
- 12/24/2021
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Anna Paquin as Brenda Warner and Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner in American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story. Photo Credit: Michael Kubeisy/Lionsgate
So, you’ve survived the big holiday rush and are feeling a bit restless after the big meal. Perhaps you usually recoup by watching one of several football games on the tube that afternoon. But what if you’re not that invested in the match-ups and just want to get out of the house for a bit? Well, why not combine the two by taking in a new flick at the multiplex…one all about football. Oh, but it’s not a fictional tale of a group of “ragtag’ misfits pulling together for a beloved but often cranky coach. No, it’s all true, a sports biopic, but also a love story in the vein of the classic Pride Of The Yankees, minus the disease finale. And unlike that “chestnut,...
So, you’ve survived the big holiday rush and are feeling a bit restless after the big meal. Perhaps you usually recoup by watching one of several football games on the tube that afternoon. But what if you’re not that invested in the match-ups and just want to get out of the house for a bit? Well, why not combine the two by taking in a new flick at the multiplex…one all about football. Oh, but it’s not a fictional tale of a group of “ragtag’ misfits pulling together for a beloved but often cranky coach. No, it’s all true, a sports biopic, but also a love story in the vein of the classic Pride Of The Yankees, minus the disease finale. And unlike that “chestnut,...
- 12/23/2021
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This past weekend saw box office records getting shattered left and right as Spider-Man: No Way Home scored the second highest domestic opening of all time, taking the box office beyond merely being “good for the pandemic.” In one weekend it became the year’s top grossing film in the U.S. and the sixth highest worldwide, and by the end of the year it may very well become number one. While Spider-Man will continue to reign at the box office for a number of weeks (it just took home the third best Monday gross ever), the slew of films big and small opening this week promises something for everyone, and the Christmas frame won’t be entirely dominated by the webslinger.
The most hotly anticipated of the new releases is The Matrix Resurrections which opens Wednesday. The fourth film in the series, and the first in 19 years, is helmed...
The most hotly anticipated of the new releases is The Matrix Resurrections which opens Wednesday. The fourth film in the series, and the first in 19 years, is helmed...
- 12/21/2021
- by Sam Mendelsohn <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
American Underdog opens in theaters Everywhere Christmas Day! Starring Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, and Dennis Quaid!
For a chance to win 2 free passes to the advance screening on Monday, Dec 20th @ 7pm at AMC Esquire 7, enter here:
http://www.lionsgatescreenings.com/hbZdl20631
American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stocking shelves at a grocery store to a two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player – but just when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches, and teammates that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is.
For a chance to win 2 free passes to the advance screening on Monday, Dec 20th @ 7pm at AMC Esquire 7, enter here:
http://www.lionsgatescreenings.com/hbZdl20631
American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stocking shelves at a grocery store to a two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player – but just when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches, and teammates that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is.
- 12/19/2021
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
‘American Underdog’ Trailer: Zachary Levi’s Kurt Warner Needs to Prove Himself to Rams Coach (Video)
In the first trailer for "American Underdog," Kurt Warner (played by Zachary Levi) is called into the office of St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz and is grilled about why he should get the chance to be the team's starting quarterback.
"Go ahead then, tell me," Martz, as played by Chance Kelly, says. "Why a team worth $800 million and with the most complex offense ever built should put you in the driver's seat? You're too old to be a rookie, too green to be a pro. So why in the world would I give you this shot?"
"American Underdog" is a biopic about Warner and how he went from being a grocery store clerk to becoming a Super Bowl champion and Mvp. The trailer even shows Levi as Warner stocking shelves and looking fondly at a Wheaties box with a picture of Dan Marino on it. When a colleague asks...
"Go ahead then, tell me," Martz, as played by Chance Kelly, says. "Why a team worth $800 million and with the most complex offense ever built should put you in the driver's seat? You're too old to be a rookie, too green to be a pro. So why in the world would I give you this shot?"
"American Underdog" is a biopic about Warner and how he went from being a grocery store clerk to becoming a Super Bowl champion and Mvp. The trailer even shows Levi as Warner stocking shelves and looking fondly at a Wheaties box with a picture of Dan Marino on it. When a colleague asks...
- 9/21/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
On Thursday at CinemaCon, Lionsgate said that it is opening the Erwin Brothers-directed American Underdog on Christmas Day. The pic was previously set to open on December 10, with the release timed to the climax of the NFL season.
“This movie perfectly aligns with the emotions of the holiday season: The power of faith. A drive to bring out the best in all of us. The strength of family. And of course, the height of the NFL championship season. When you take all of that together, the perfect release date for this movie is Christmas day, and that’s where we have decided to date it,” said Joe Drake, chairman of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group.
American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stock boy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback.
“This movie perfectly aligns with the emotions of the holiday season: The power of faith. A drive to bring out the best in all of us. The strength of family. And of course, the height of the NFL championship season. When you take all of that together, the perfect release date for this movie is Christmas day, and that’s where we have decided to date it,” said Joe Drake, chairman of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group.
American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stock boy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback.
- 8/26/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Lionsgate is making a play for the Christmas holiday at the box office, with American Underdog debuting in theaters Dec. 25.
American Underdog stars Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner, the real-life NFL quarterback who went from grocery story stockboy to two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champ and hall of famer. Anna Paquin stars as Brenda Warner and Dennis Quaid plays Dick Vermeil. The studio announced the release of the inspirational movie at CinemaCon Thursday.
“This movie perfectly aligns with the emotions of the holiday season: The power of faith. A drive to bring out the best in all of us. The strength of ...
American Underdog stars Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner, the real-life NFL quarterback who went from grocery story stockboy to two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champ and hall of famer. Anna Paquin stars as Brenda Warner and Dennis Quaid plays Dick Vermeil. The studio announced the release of the inspirational movie at CinemaCon Thursday.
“This movie perfectly aligns with the emotions of the holiday season: The power of faith. A drive to bring out the best in all of us. The strength of ...
- 8/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Lionsgate is making a play for the Christmas holiday at the box office, with American Underdog debuting in theaters Dec. 25.
American Underdog stars Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner, the real-life NFL quarterback who went from grocery story stockboy to two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champ and hall of famer. Anna Paquin stars as Brenda Warner and Dennis Quaid plays Dick Vermeil. The studio announced the release of the inspirational movie at CinemaCon Thursday.
“This movie perfectly aligns with the emotions of the holiday season: The power of faith. A drive to bring out the best in all of us. The strength of ...
American Underdog stars Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner, the real-life NFL quarterback who went from grocery story stockboy to two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champ and hall of famer. Anna Paquin stars as Brenda Warner and Dennis Quaid plays Dick Vermeil. The studio announced the release of the inspirational movie at CinemaCon Thursday.
“This movie perfectly aligns with the emotions of the holiday season: The power of faith. A drive to bring out the best in all of us. The strength of ...
- 8/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Zachary Levi as Kurt Warner and Anna Paquin as Brenda Warner in American Underdog. Photo Credit: Michael Kubeisy/Lionsgate
Lionsgate has released this first look at American Undedog, due out in cinemas later this year.
The film chronicles the incredible true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to become a two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback.
The film chronicles Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player, and when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is inside. American Underdog is an inspirational story that demonstrates that anything is possible when you have faith,...
Lionsgate has released this first look at American Undedog, due out in cinemas later this year.
The film chronicles the incredible true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to become a two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback.
The film chronicles Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player, and when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is inside. American Underdog is an inspirational story that demonstrates that anything is possible when you have faith,...
- 7/8/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The first look at “American Underdog” arrived on Wednesday, giving us a glimpse of Zachary Levi’s portrayal of the NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.
The biopic follows Warner’s humble roots stocking supermarket shelves to his rise as a Super Bowl Mvp. In the new behind-the-scenes video, Warner, who serves as an executive producer on the film, shared why he thinks his story is made for the big screen.
“I’ve heard so many people over the years say that they’ve been inspired, they’ve been encouraged because of my story,” he explained. “That’s what I think is so cool.”
“Shazam!” star Levi, who plays Warner, said he was very familiar with the athlete’s success story before taking on the role.
“Everybody knew the story. He was working at a supermarket, and then plays arena football, then gets in the NFL, he wins the freaking Superbowl,...
The biopic follows Warner’s humble roots stocking supermarket shelves to his rise as a Super Bowl Mvp. In the new behind-the-scenes video, Warner, who serves as an executive producer on the film, shared why he thinks his story is made for the big screen.
“I’ve heard so many people over the years say that they’ve been inspired, they’ve been encouraged because of my story,” he explained. “That’s what I think is so cool.”
“Shazam!” star Levi, who plays Warner, said he was very familiar with the athlete’s success story before taking on the role.
“Everybody knew the story. He was working at a supermarket, and then plays arena football, then gets in the NFL, he wins the freaking Superbowl,...
- 7/7/2021
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Golden Globe nominee Dennis Quaid and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen have signed on for the Jon Erwin and Andrew Erwin-directed sports drama, American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story, along with Ser’Darius Blain, Adam Baldwin, Bruce McGill, Danny Vinson, Chance Kelly, and Hayden Zaller. The new additions join Zachary Levi in the role of Kurt Warner and Anna Paquin as Brenda Warner.
David Aaron Cohen, Jon Gunn, and Jon Erwin penned the screenplay based on interviews with Warner as well as Warner’s memoir, All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football and the First Miracle Season. The pic chronicles Kurt’s journey from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming a two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl Mvp, and Hall of Fame quarterback.
Quaid will play St. Louis Rams coach Dick Vermeil, while Kelly playing the Rams’ offensive coordinator, Mike Martz. Madsen will play Sue Warner,...
David Aaron Cohen, Jon Gunn, and Jon Erwin penned the screenplay based on interviews with Warner as well as Warner’s memoir, All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football and the First Miracle Season. The pic chronicles Kurt’s journey from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming a two-time NFL Mvp, Super Bowl Mvp, and Hall of Fame quarterback.
Quaid will play St. Louis Rams coach Dick Vermeil, while Kelly playing the Rams’ offensive coordinator, Mike Martz. Madsen will play Sue Warner,...
- 1/19/2021
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Andy Reid Will win a Super Bowl with the Chiefs despite yet another championship game heartbreaker Sunday ... so says legendary coach Dick Vermeil. "I would bet on it!" Dick tells TMZ Sports ... "I would bet that they will win one!" Of course, Reid's history says otherwise ... his loss to the Pats on Sunday was his 6th championship game L (4 Nfc championships, 1 Afc championship and 1 Super Bowl) in his 20-year, ring-less career. But, Vermeil says Reid...
- 1/21/2019
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Dick Vermeil tells TMZ Sports he's so impressed with the job Sean McVay's doing with the Rams ... he says the coach can be one of the greatest of all time. Dick knows a thing or two about what that takes ... he won a Super Bowl in 1999 and is considered a legend among former NFL coaches -- and he says the 32-year-old is definitely on his way. "You know, I think of myself at 32," Vermeil...
- 11/25/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk ain't gonna like this ... The ex-head coach of the original 'Greatest Show On Turf' Rams says this year's version is better ... And more explosive!!! "They're close," Dick Vermeil tells TMZ Sports. "But, I really think you'd have to say that this team overall might be a little better." Of course, there were three versions of the 'Gsot' Rams ... coached by Vermeil in 1999 -- and then by Mike Martz in 2000 and 2001. But,...
- 10/7/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
[[tmz:video id="0_7j0uqvvq"]] Dick Vermeil says Terrell Owens has one person to blame for being snubbed from the Hall of Fame again ... himself ... saying T.O. was "obnoxious" during his NFL career, and it's costing him. We got Vermeil -- who won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2000 -- at Lax and asked him about one of the hottest pro football topics of the day ... Terrell Owens once again being shut out of a bid for Canton.
- 2/7/2017
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The fans are in the seats, the fields have been lined in white and the players are ready for some football action. Can’t you smell it in the air? The early days of Fall are here and we’re in the thick of the hallowed football time of year – high school, college and NFL. Wamg is counting down our 35 favorite football films you need to see before the kickoff of pigskin season. It’s never too early or too late to talk the sport loved by fans everywhere. Many of these true stories can be found on DVD, Blu-ray and Video On Demand. Let us know in the comments section below how you would have ranked your favorite football movies or if we left any on the sidelines.
1. Rudy
“You’re 5 foot nothin’, 100 and nothin’, and you have barely a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there...
1. Rudy
“You’re 5 foot nothin’, 100 and nothin’, and you have barely a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there...
- 9/10/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Randy calls an audible and goes for a little Burt Reynolds.
It’s not too hard to connect the dots between professional football and prison, or between football and fine wine. It’s quite a bit harder to make a play for all three.
There is no shortage of star football players who have done a little time – or more – in the pokey. Conversely, some football folks have ventured into the field of wine. I’ll take football over prison and wine over either of those choices.
The Longest Yard has Burt Reynolds – himself a former college football player – as a prisoner who heads up the inmate football team in a contest against the guards, a game which is more than just a game to those on the field. It’s fantasy football with real consequences. These football heroes have numbers a lot longer than one or two digits; their football cards are mugshots.
It’s not too hard to connect the dots between professional football and prison, or between football and fine wine. It’s quite a bit harder to make a play for all three.
There is no shortage of star football players who have done a little time – or more – in the pokey. Conversely, some football folks have ventured into the field of wine. I’ll take football over prison and wine over either of those choices.
The Longest Yard has Burt Reynolds – himself a former college football player – as a prisoner who heads up the inmate football team in a contest against the guards, a game which is more than just a game to those on the field. It’s fantasy football with real consequences. These football heroes have numbers a lot longer than one or two digits; their football cards are mugshots.
- 9/15/2011
- by Danny
- Trailers from Hell
FX has bought exclusive cable rights to the feature film Invincible from Buena Vista Television. An FX spokesman confirmed the deal but declined comment on the terms of the agreement. Because of the Yom Kippur holiday, no one was available to confirm or deny at BVT. Sources said the four-year deal will see FX pay 10%-12% of domestic boxoffice for the Buena Vista Pictures title, which has earned $56.3 million in North American theaters since its Aug. 25 release through this past weekend. The PG-rated Invincible, based on a true story, stars Mark Wahlberg as regular guy-turned-football pro Vince Papale and Greg Kinnear as former Philadelphia Eagles coach Dick Vermeil.
- 10/2/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
FX has bought exclusive cable rights to the feature film Invincible from Buena Vista Television. An FX spokesman confirmed the deal but declined comment on the terms of the agreement. Because of the Yom Kippur holiday, no one was available to confirm or deny at BVT. Sources said the four-year deal will see FX pay 10%-12% of domestic boxoffice for the Buena Vista Pictures title, which has earned $56.3 million in North American theaters since its Aug. 25 release through this past weekend. The PG-rated Invincible, based on a true story, stars Mark Wahlberg as regular guy-turned-football pro Vince Papale and Greg Kinnear as former Philadelphia Eagles coach Dick Vermeil.
- 10/2/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In this age, sports, not religion, is the arena for miracles. Think of Pete Gray, the one-armed outfielder for the 1945 St. Louis Browns. Or Dick Nen, whose only major-league hit in 1963 was a monster home run that helped propel the Los Angeles Dodgers into the World Series.
Producers Mark Ciardi, an ex-big leaguer, and Gordon Gray have turned such sports miracles into a motion picture cottage industry: First came "The Rookie", about a high school baseball coach who tried out for the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays and wound up in the big leagues three months later, and then "Miracle", about the coach who inspired the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's improbable victory. Now the two team with Ken Mok for "Invincible", the reasonably true story of Vince Papale, a South Philly bartender who never played college football yet tried out for his hometown Philadelphia Eagles and wound up playing wide receiver and special teams from 1976-78.
"Invincible" is 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. Opening on the cusp of the football season, the film will attract a male following of all age groups, so it should do moderate theatrical and video business in North America.
Mark Wahlberg plays Vince, which is a bit of a stretch physically because if you were choosing sides for tag football, he probably would not be your first choice. However, Wahlberg does get the heart-and-guts "Rocky" side of the equation.
Things are going so badly for Vince as the movie opens that in one scene, when he slouches home from the bar, the soundtrack breaks into that classic melancholy song, "One for My Baby". He has lost a job as a substitute teacher, his wife had fled with every possession, and he's broke. So why not try out for the Eagles, coming off a hideous season, and its new coach, just hired out of UCLA, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear)?
Vince turns out to be a legitimate rookie, a guy whose spirit and determination make him nearly as good as the overpaid and underperforming pros. They hate him, of course, but his edge is that he still knows what it means to be hungry. Also brightening his life is a terrific-looking fellow bartender, Janet (Elizabeth Banks), whose only "character flaw" is that she is a New York Giants fan.
Writer Brad Gann and cinematographer-turned-director Ericson Core root the movie firmly in a South Philly neighborhood where jobs are scarce and strikes are under way. Initially Vince's dad Frank (Kevin Conway) isn't sure his boy should try out. Nevertheless, Frank's devotion to the Eagles is what got him through his wife's illness and early death.
The guys Vince plays sandlot football with have mixed reactions to their pal's success. Bar owner Max (Michael Rispoli), Tommy Kirk Acevedo) and Pete Michael Kelly) live vicariously through his exploits. But Johnny (Dov Davidoff) is jealous and worries about losing his pal to the bright lights, so he sulks in a corner of the bar.
The most accomplished thing about this movie is that even if Vince had been cut before the season began, there will still be a decent story here because the characters and their environment are so strongly established. Wahlberg plays the sensitive side to Vince without compromising any machismo. Banks seems to be having genuine fun as a football-addicted female hanging out in an all-male world.
The acting is solid throughout, with Michael Nouri as the club owner and, frankly, Kinnear the only weak spots. OK, so the college coach is an NFL rookie too, but Kinnear gives Vermeil too much vulnerability.
Core, acting as his own cinematographer, shoots the hard-nosed football action close to the trenches to catch all the painful hits. Costumes, sets and decor strongly evoke the '70s along with music coming from radios, while Mark Isham's score gets excited at all the right moments.
INVINCIBLE
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures presents a Mayhem Pictures production
Credits:
Director/director of photography: Ericson Core
Screenwriter: Brad Gann
Based on the life story of: Vincent Papale
Producers: Gordon Gray, Mark Ciardi, Ken Mok
Executive producers: Victor H. Constantino, Nicole Reed, Ezra Swerdlow
Production designer: Sarah Knowles
Music: Mark Isham
Costumes: Susan Lyall
Editor: Jerry Greenberg
Cast:
Vince Papale: Mark Wahlberg
Dick Vermeil: Greg Kinnear
Janet: Elizabeth Banks
Frank Papale: Kevin Conway
Max: Michael Rispoli
Tommy: Kirk Acevedo
Johnny: Dov Davidoff
Pete: Michael Kelly
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 104 minutes...
Producers Mark Ciardi, an ex-big leaguer, and Gordon Gray have turned such sports miracles into a motion picture cottage industry: First came "The Rookie", about a high school baseball coach who tried out for the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays and wound up in the big leagues three months later, and then "Miracle", about the coach who inspired the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's improbable victory. Now the two team with Ken Mok for "Invincible", the reasonably true story of Vince Papale, a South Philly bartender who never played college football yet tried out for his hometown Philadelphia Eagles and wound up playing wide receiver and special teams from 1976-78.
"Invincible" is 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. Opening on the cusp of the football season, the film will attract a male following of all age groups, so it should do moderate theatrical and video business in North America.
Mark Wahlberg plays Vince, which is a bit of a stretch physically because if you were choosing sides for tag football, he probably would not be your first choice. However, Wahlberg does get the heart-and-guts "Rocky" side of the equation.
Things are going so badly for Vince as the movie opens that in one scene, when he slouches home from the bar, the soundtrack breaks into that classic melancholy song, "One for My Baby". He has lost a job as a substitute teacher, his wife had fled with every possession, and he's broke. So why not try out for the Eagles, coming off a hideous season, and its new coach, just hired out of UCLA, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear)?
Vince turns out to be a legitimate rookie, a guy whose spirit and determination make him nearly as good as the overpaid and underperforming pros. They hate him, of course, but his edge is that he still knows what it means to be hungry. Also brightening his life is a terrific-looking fellow bartender, Janet (Elizabeth Banks), whose only "character flaw" is that she is a New York Giants fan.
Writer Brad Gann and cinematographer-turned-director Ericson Core root the movie firmly in a South Philly neighborhood where jobs are scarce and strikes are under way. Initially Vince's dad Frank (Kevin Conway) isn't sure his boy should try out. Nevertheless, Frank's devotion to the Eagles is what got him through his wife's illness and early death.
The guys Vince plays sandlot football with have mixed reactions to their pal's success. Bar owner Max (Michael Rispoli), Tommy Kirk Acevedo) and Pete Michael Kelly) live vicariously through his exploits. But Johnny (Dov Davidoff) is jealous and worries about losing his pal to the bright lights, so he sulks in a corner of the bar.
The most accomplished thing about this movie is that even if Vince had been cut before the season began, there will still be a decent story here because the characters and their environment are so strongly established. Wahlberg plays the sensitive side to Vince without compromising any machismo. Banks seems to be having genuine fun as a football-addicted female hanging out in an all-male world.
The acting is solid throughout, with Michael Nouri as the club owner and, frankly, Kinnear the only weak spots. OK, so the college coach is an NFL rookie too, but Kinnear gives Vermeil too much vulnerability.
Core, acting as his own cinematographer, shoots the hard-nosed football action close to the trenches to catch all the painful hits. Costumes, sets and decor strongly evoke the '70s along with music coming from radios, while Mark Isham's score gets excited at all the right moments.
INVINCIBLE
Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures presents a Mayhem Pictures production
Credits:
Director/director of photography: Ericson Core
Screenwriter: Brad Gann
Based on the life story of: Vincent Papale
Producers: Gordon Gray, Mark Ciardi, Ken Mok
Executive producers: Victor H. Constantino, Nicole Reed, Ezra Swerdlow
Production designer: Sarah Knowles
Music: Mark Isham
Costumes: Susan Lyall
Editor: Jerry Greenberg
Cast:
Vince Papale: Mark Wahlberg
Dick Vermeil: Greg Kinnear
Janet: Elizabeth Banks
Frank Papale: Kevin Conway
Max: Michael Rispoli
Tommy: Kirk Acevedo
Johnny: Dov Davidoff
Pete: Michael Kelly
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 104 minutes...
- 8/23/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Movie star Mark Wahlberg has signed on to play revered sports fan Vince Papale, who famously won the chance to play briefly for American football team the Philadelphia Eagles. The Planet Of The Apes star admits he was drawn to the real-life story, Invincible, because he's an avid sports fan himself and he understood what it must be like to join the heroes on the football field. Papale, a teacher and part-time bartender, became an unlikely sporting hero in the mid-1970s when he earned a walk-on spot on his NFL hometown team. He became the oldest NFL rookie to play without any prior college football experience. He ended up playing on the team for three seasons. Wahlberg tells MTV News, "He's what every person who ever aspired to play in the NFL or professional sports wants to be. The guy became the heart and soul of the team and uplifted the whole city. He's the real Rocky Balboa of Philadelphia, and he's an amazing guy, an amazing father and an amazing son. He has all the heart in the world." Greg Kinnear will play legendary Eagles coach Dick Vermeil in the Disney family film.
- 12/30/2005
- WENN
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