"Let's just play some ball."

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2007)

A fine offering from Disney Films that doesn't rely on violence, sex or vulgarity to tell it's story. Not being a major football fan, I tuned in for the inspirational story of a professional sports team walk-on that made it to the big time. Mark Wahlberg did a fine job of portraying said player, Vince Papale, a down but not yet out part time teacher and bartender. Casting wise, it was quite ironic to see him as a beefy, muscular player on the neighborhood football team, only to wind up being the smallest guy on the Eagles. The film takes you through Papale's ordeal in training camp, the first six pre-season games of 1976, and the first two games of that year.
What I found lacking in the story seemed to be the absence of any real thrill or intensity in Papale's accomplishment, as it was all played quite low key by Wahlberg. There also was a lack of any camaraderie between Papale and any of the Eagles in the movie, no mentor to serve as a buffer between the upstart 'old' rookie and the veteran players. Papale's relationship with Coach Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) was also portrayed in a low key manner, so much so that when Papale blew his very first play, it was a shock to see Vermeil's outburst.
There's a great scene though, featuring Papale and Vermeil as each was about to experience their very first NFL game; you can get nervous at all levels of professional sports.
I'm not sure if this one will hold up with some of the other underdog true sports stories on film like "Rudy" or "Hoosiers", but it's a decent enough feel good story to catch at least one time. I'm sure if you were there in the mid 1970's and a rabid Philadelphia Eagles fan, you'll have a greater appreciation for the story. For someone who manages to catch just the Super Bowl once a year, this was a good tune up.