Another F'ing movie about an underdog white guy

[poindexter]

Jesus, who pays money to see this ****? Yet another movie about a smallish white guy who beats the odds to play sports.

Now if Jesse Jackson wants to protest the making of movie after movie of these white guys who "beat the odds", then I might give him a honk.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445990/

 

[shockey]

isn't this one directed by spike lee? ;D ;D ;D

 

[hondo]

I always thought Rudy was the biggest farce perpetrated on the movie-going public, and proof that Notre Dame still works magic with the media, despite some Notre Dame alums believing fervently that the media is out to get Notre Dame.

Think about it: one pesky, obnoxious dweeb walk-on gets in one game, for two plays, and it's the subject of books, movies and motivational speaking tours for said little runt.

There have been thousands of walk-ons who actually had a college career lasting longer than two games. Just to give an example of a kid I covered, Kerwin Bell was a chicken farmer's kid from Mayo, Fla., played high school ball in the smallest state classification, walked on at Florida, was eighth on the depth chart when preseason practice began in 1984, then moved up because of a rash of injuries, and wound up taking the team to a 9-1-1 record, beat Georgia for the first time in about 10 years, beat FSU and wound up being a four-year starter.

If Rudy was worth a 2-hour movie, Kerwin Bell was worth a six-part mini-series. But because it's Notre Dame, it's a bleeping legend.

 

[Armchair_QB]

When I first heard about this movie I thought it was going to be about the bartender who kicked for the Falcons back in the late 70s. Tim Mazzetti was his name I think.

I've never lived anywhere near Atlanta and I was in grade school or junior high at the time but I remember that guy for some reason.

EDIT: Turns out he is also the guy who scored the first points in USFL history.

 

[Sly]

Movies like Rudy and Hoosiers separate the heartless from the rest of us.

 

[poindexter]

I disliking dreck like this POS (made in conjucntion with ESPN, btw) makes me heartless, then I am signing up at Mayo tomorrow.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Big difference between Hoosiers and Rudy.

In Hoosiers, the hero(es) weren't asses.

 

[JayFarrar]

I'm going to give this movie a chance.
I probably won't see it in the regular theater, the dollar theater sounds good, so I'm not going to trash it.
The real story is kind of interesting. A 30-year old bartender, who didn't play football in college, tries out for the Eagles, makes the team and plays for three years.
I don't know how much the movie varies, but if it sticks close, it should be decent.
Plus Elizabeth Banks is a hottie. And I like Greg Kinnear, who plays Vermeil, and Marky Mark, who is the football player.

 

[Bubbler]

I see old school Eagles uni's in that poster. Do Mike Quick, Wilbert Montgomery, Carl Hairston or barefoot Tony Franklin make cameos? Please, for the love of God, does Vyto Kab make an appearance?

A quick gander at the credits indicates that they had to cast ex-Eagles linebacker John Bunting, along with ex-Cowboys Randy Hughes, Cliff Harris, Scott Laidlaw and Efren Herrera. That had to be the weirdest casting session ever, trying to find the perfect Efren Herrera.

Greg Kinnear plays **** Vermeil. Hope he's good at blubbering.

By the way the real underdog's name is Vince Papale.

 

[Dude]

http://www.northeasttimes.com/2005/1208/papale.html

The biggest problem (pardon the pun) is Wahlberg's height or lack thereof. He's 5'7". Papale is 6'2".

The guy who played Harold Carmichael (who was 6'8") is 6'1".

 

[Armchair_QB]

I see old school Eagles uni's in that poster. Do Mike Quick, Wilbert Montgomery, Carl Hairston or barefoot Tony Franklin make cameos? Please, for the love of God, does Vyto Kab make an appearance?

I think this takes place before those guys were in Philly.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I always thought Rudy was the biggest farce perpetrated on the movie-going public, and proof that Notre Dame still works magic with the media, despite some Notre Dame alums believing fervently that the media is out to get Notre Dame.

Think about it: one pesky, obnoxious dweeb walk-on gets in one game, for two plays, and it's the subject of books, movies and motivational speaking tours for said little runt.

There have been thousands of walk-ons who actually had a college career lasting longer than two games. Just to give an example of a kid I covered, Kerwin Bell was a chicken farmer's kid from Mayo, Fla., played high school ball in the smallest state classification, walked on at Florida, was eighth on the depth chart when preseason practice began in 1984, then moved up because of a rash of injuries, and wound up taking the team to a 9-1-1 record, beat Georgia for the first time in about 10 years, beat FSU and wound up being a four-year starter.

If Rudy was worth a 2-hour movie, Kerwin Bell was worth a six-part mini-series. But because it's Notre Dame, it's a bleeping legend.

Agree completely that Rudy was one of the worst sports movies I have ever seen... I hated every second of that film...

And yeah, I won't be seeing Invincible unless it gets incredible reviews...

 

[Bubbler]

The guy who played Harold Carmichael (who was 6'8") is 6'1".

That's a serious ****up right there.

Harold Carmichael is remembered for three things ...

1. Having the consecutive games with a reception streak for a long ass time.
2. Wearing the at-the-time unusual number 17 as a receiver (when the NFL was more militant about its number assignments, he was grandfathered in before all receivers had to be in the 80s)
3. Being big as a ****ing tree.

Jeez, they probably cast Bill Bergey as a black guy.

 

[BYH]

On one hand, this does sound really interesting. This guy does not seem to be a Rudy-like figure who got into a game for all of one or two plays.

On the other, the last Disney old-dude-makes-it-to-the-big-time sports movie kinda sucked: "The Rookie." I wanted to like it, but it just wasn't there.

That, and Marky Mark doesn't exactly have a sterling track record when it comes to starring in these joe-blow-makes-it-big movies. See: Rock Star, which was about the guy in a Judas Priest cover band who ends up singing for Judas Priest. Judas Priest disassociated themselves from the movie. When Judas Priest wants nothing to do with you, you know you suck.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

I read a review somewhere that says Kinnear doesn't cry as Vermeill. What a missed opportunity!

 

[Bubbler]

I read a review somewhere that says Kinnear doesn't cry as Vermeill. What a missed opportunity!

Jesus Christ, this movie is losing credibility with a bullet.

Vermeil's cry-meter is so off the charts he'd cry if Roynell Young tipped a practice pass or if Chuck Bednarik busted ass on the sideline.

 

[Batman]

This might be a great idea if the formula hadn't been done before by Rocky ... and Hoosiers ... and Rudy ... and The Rookie ... and Cool Runnings ... and Miracle ... and The Bad News Bears ... and, well, you get the idea.

So how long before we get the Michael Lewis story? Five years? Ten? It's basically the same premise.

 

[tyler durden 71351]

The difference is, Michael Lewis is black and he plays for the New Orleans Saints. If he was a white dude, or he played in a big media market, they would be working on the movie right now.

 

[Batman]

Well, based on this movie's casting team, they could just make him play for the Jets. And maybe turn him into Mikey from the Bronx, who obsessively calls Mike and the Mad Dog every day saying how he could do better so they finally say "Dammit Mikey, just go try out and shut the hell up already!" And he does.
Plus, they've also got the whole Katrina angle working, which I'm sure they'd turn into his ho (ya know, the whole "life is a storm" metaphor).

God, I could so be in Hollywood. 8)

 

[BYH]

Well, based on this movie's casting team, they could just make him play for the Jets. And maybe turn him into Mikey from the Bronx, who obsessively calls Mike and the Mad Dog every day saying how he could do better so they finally say "Dammit Mikey, just go try out and shut the hell up already!" And he does.
Plus, they've also got the whole Katrina angle working, which I'm sure they'd turn into his ho (ya know, the whole "life is a storm" metaphor).

God, I could so be in Hollywood.  8)

All you need to do is have the hurricane hit NY, instead of New Orleans, and you've got gold.

"The hurricane destroyed the city, but it could not destroy his dream."