My wife and I went to see the Disney movie "Invincible" last night.
Don't go see it unless you actually like inspiring, moving experiences that make you laugh, think, cry -- I got some popcorn in my eye, but you might be moved to tears -- and that leave you wondering how you would stand up under truly difficult economic challenges.
The true story is based on the life of Vince Papale, a 30 year-old Philadelphian struggling to make ends meet in 1976. He lost his job, his wife, and his sense of hope in rapid fire succession before an open tryout with the NFL's Eagles led to a three year pro football career. Part of the story was the pervasive hopelessness spawned by limited economic opportunities for Vince and his friends in their south Philadelphia neighborhood.
That subtext of the movie had me wondering how we would survive under truly difficult circumstances in this country. Some would have us believe we are now about to slip into a Depression to make the 1930's look good, but the truth is we are so wealthy in America that a real downturn would be a horrific shock to most of us.
How would we survive it? I can't help wondering how long we would bicker, fight, and blame before we pulled together and made do to the best of our abilities.
As the fifth anniversary of 9/11 draws near, it is hard to not feel a little nostalgia for the brief time when Americans were on the same page, as well as what it would take to get us back there.
Go see the movie. I think anyone would enjoy it, but it just might leave you pondering the invincibility of Americans.
