Three words: go see Invincible. Melissa had the great idea to go see this movie that I’d just heard about and it was great. It tells the story of Vince Papale, a Philadelphia Eagles fan who was convinced to try out for the team when new coach Dick Vermeil held open tryouts in the preseason of 1976. Before the movie, I’d never heard of Papale’s story, so it really interested me. If his Wikipedia entry is correct, the lead-up to his being picked up by the Ealges was embellished in the film. I’d like to know how much of the movie was “inspired” and how much is the true story.

Regardless of its accuracy, the film was well-made and clean; it’s rated PG and Ryan went with us. I had no idea the NFL had six preseason games back then; today’s 4-5 games seem like a long preseason. I thought the acting was great and the football looked real. It’s definitely not a football movie that requires you to know the game all that well, and there’s not that much gameplay until the end of the film. The story was entertaining and it was a treat to watch. Highly recommended.