REEL CRITICS:

Mark Wahlberg definitely bulked up his biceps for this role as an unlikely hero of the NFL. In “Invincible,” he plays Vince Papale, a South Philly school teacher and bartender who earns a roster spot as a walk-on player for the hapless Philadelphia Eagles of 1976. Greg Kinnear does a credible job as Dick Vermeil, the former UCLA coach hired by the Eagles owner to turn the team around.

Trying to shake up his unmotivated veterans, Vermeil holds an open tryout for anyone wanting to make the squad. Out of hundreds of wannabes, only Papale makes the cut. He goes on to play for three years as a hard-hitting, gutsy special teams player. He makes some really big plays, but it’s his daily work ethic that helps inspire the Eagles to become Super Bowl contenders by 1980. Elizabeth Banks is his beautiful love interest always waiting in the wings. The camera catches the gritty reality of the South Philadelphia neighborhoods that produce the toughest fans in the NFL.

But the screenplay for “Invincible” is a classic cornball sports tale that’s been done a hundred times before. The underdog-hero plot lines of “Rocky” are evident at every turn. Disney took no chances with this enjoyable but completely predictable story.

If you want to see the year’s best sports flick, rent “Glory Road.” Sports history and American history intersect in the saga of the heroic 1965 integrated basketball team from tiny West Texas State. This unknown team actually won the NCAA championship by beating the mighty but segregated Kentucky team that featured Pat Riley as one of their key players. College basketball was never the same again.

‘The Illusionist’: all smoke and mirrors

A magician dazzles audiences and irritates authorities in the elegant drama, “The Illusionist,” set in turn-of-the-century Vienna. You may experience one or both reactions, depending on your ability to believe in the magic of the movies in spite of sketchily drawn plot points.

The film, which closed this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival, is a classy production with its sepia-tinted cinematography and charismatic Philip Glass score.

Edward Norton plays Eisenheim, the magician of the title, with his usual intensity. His smoldering stares serve him well as he conjures trees and butterflies that initially amaze and delight the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) and his toadying Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti).

Eisenheim’s boyhood friend and crush, the aristocratic Sophie (Jessica Biel) reenters his life after 15 years and is about to become engaged to Leopold. The magician publicly embarrasses the arrogant prince, who in turn sets the policeman on him to expose him for a fraud. To add fuel to the fire, Eisenheim begins an affair with Sophie.

Sewell is enjoyable as the classic villain who does everything but twirl his mustache in wicked glee. Giamatti is good as always, but his fadeaway schnitzel-und-beer accent is distracting. Biel (a Festival award winner for her role) is pleasantly bland, but the camera certainly loves her.

Norton plays an enigma with smug self-assurance, but he is too one-dimensional, and therein lies the major flaw in this movie: Like his magician, he has distanced himself emotionally from his audience. So while the twisty ending may play in our minds after the movie is over, he has already done a disappearing act.