Really fine movie based on Vince Papale's entry into pro football.

Rating: Null/10 (31 December 2006)

I am about Vince Papale's age. I very vaguely remember in 1976 when he began to play pro football for the Eagles. I invariably enjoy movies based on real people, and this is no exception to that rule. Mark Wahlberg doesn't look much like Papale at 30, and is a bit too old, but his working class background helped him become Papale for this movie. A very worthwhile viewing for anyone who likes a nice personal triumph. There is a very interesting 25-minute extra on the DVD which features the real Papale as they were making the movie.
Vince Papale was a part-time teacher and part-time bar tender. He and his buddies were rabid Eagles fans, when the Eagles had lost the magic of their former glory days. They spent a portion of their leisure time playing sandlot football in street clothes. Papale seemed to clearly the be the best of them, even though he never played college ball, and only one year of high school football.
Greg Kinnear is Dick Vermeil, successful West Coast college coach hired to turn the Eagles around. To gain support of the local crowd he held open tryouts, not really expecting anyone to stand out. But Papale did, and he was given a chance at training camp, much to his own surprise.
Spoilers. At each cut point Papale expected to be called to turn in his playbook. Each time he was retained, and coach Vermeil went out on a thin limb to keep him on the roster at the final cut, against the advice of his coaches. Even though they lost all of their preseason games, Papale became a 'crazy man' on special teams, getting downfield quickly on kickoffs to pulverize the ball carrier. And in the first game, causing a fumbled punt which he recovered and carried in for an insurance touchdown. He gained the respect of the veterans, thrilled the home crowd, and had 3 very successful seasons. Plus, the Eagles turned it around and became winners again.
Very pretty Elizabeth Banks is Janet Cantrell, whom Papale met as a fellow bar tender, right after his own wife up and moved out without warning. Janet and Vince married and, as current film clips show, have a nice family with two small children.