Invincible is a 2006 American biographical sports drama film directed by Ericson Core. It is based on the nonfictional story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), who played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976 to 1978 with the help of his coach, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear). The film was released in the United States on August 25, 2006.
Plot
In the 1970s, Philadelphia is in chaos as southern portions of the city protest the shutdown of several job sites while their NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles, endures a string of losing seasons. In 1976, a 30 year old substitute teacher Vince Papale goes to a sandlot one night and joins his friends playing a pick-up football game against another group of young men. After the game ends, Papale goes home and finds his wife Sharon disgusted with his failure to provide proper support.
The next morning, Papale is unexpectedly laid off from his job at the school. That night, Papale goes to the bar where he works as a part-time bartender. The bar contains die-hard Eagles fans, who are watching a TV report on Eagles hiring a new head coach, Dick Vermeil, who will be staging open public tryouts for the Eagles; the bar regulars encourage Papale to attend the tryout. Returning home, Papale finds out that Sharon has left him, leaving him a note saying he will never be anything in the world. Distraught, Papale trashes the few remaining belongings that she left behind.
The next night at the bar, Papale meets a new co-bartender, Janet Cantrell, who is a Giants fan. Desperate for income in the aftermath of his wife's departure, Papale receives support from his friends and attends the tryout hosted at Veterans Stadium. Papale is competing against several hundred Philadelphia residents, but performs well during the workouts. After the tryouts, Dick Vermeil comes by as Papale is trying to start his car. Vermeil is impressed by Papale's performance and invites him to training camp to compete for a roster spot with the Eagles. Accepting, Papale receives a warm welcome at the bar, and has an interview with a newscaster.
The next day, Papale is jogging in the city and stops by his empty home; running into friends, he tells them about joining the Eagles. His father, meanwhile, offers to let Vince stay with him. The following day, he goes to his first training camp with the Eagles. As the days of training camp progress, Papale endures hard training and disrespect from other players. One night, Papale takes Janet out on a date. He is unsure if he can start a new relationship, since he needs to try his best to make the team. Janet claims that she did not know it was a date. She goes back to work and he leaves. As training camp ends, the final roster spot is down to Papale and a veteran. Against his assistants' advice, Vermeil hands the final spot to Papale.
As Papale's career with the Eagles begins, the team loses all six preseason games and their regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Papale plays poorly against the Cowboys, and Vermeil faces pressure from the fans and media. After the team returns to Philadelphia, Papale goes to the sandlot where he played with his friends once before. He is invited to play, but he declines because of his upcoming Eagles game and watches for a few minutes. However, as a rainstorm begins, Papale joins his pals and plays against another sandlot team to help his friends. He ends the wet and dirty game by throwing a touchdown pass. When he runs into Janet later, they speak briefly before passionately embracing and tumbling into Papale's home.
During the home opener against the New York Giants, Janet's appearance in a Giants shirt angers the Eagles fans. In the locker room, Papale looks again at the note Sharon had left and tears it up. He opens the game by solo-tackling the kickoff returner inside the fifteen-yard line. After an up-and-down game, Papale gets downfield during an Eagles' fourth quarter punt to tackle the returner, forcing a fumble that he recovers and takes into the end zone for a touchdown, giving the Eagles their first win in Papale's career. Eagles fans go wild with joy. During the end credits, media highlights of Papale's career with the Eagles are shown. Papale plays for the team for three seasons and eventually marries Janet while Vermeil succeeds in turning the Eagles into a winning team, culminating in an appearance in Super Bowl XV.