Should you bring the kids? Yes, it's an excellent movie, although the weighty subject matter is best suited for tweens on up. Sports-minded kids will really like it.

THE STORY: The year is 1976, and Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) is a substitute teacher by day and a bartender by night. After his wife dumps him and he loses his teaching job, things are looking grim for the 30-year-old Philly resident.

Then Papale learns that the new coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear), is having open tryouts for the city's pro football team. He has nothing to lose, so he joins dozens of other hopefuls who show up with big dreams of playing pro football.

Amazingly, Papale makes the team and goes from fan to player in one fell swoop. And he never even played college football! The other coaches and trainers aren't exactly crazy about Vermeil's methods of getting the team back on its feet. But against their wishes, he decides to let Papale play.

Pretty soon, Papale's a true hometown hero -- an everyman who has the whole town standing behind him, including (most of) his buddies, his working-stiff dad (Kevin Conway), and the beautiful and funny Janet Cantwell (Elizabeth Banks), who happens to be a New York Giants fan.

The guys Vince plays sandlot football with have mixed reactions. Bar owner Max (Michael Rispoli), Tommy (Kirk Acevedo) and Pete (Michael Kelly) are living vicariously through him. Johnny (Dov Davidoff) is jealous and worries about losing Vince to fame and fortune.

Sure, it's the classic sports-underdog-defying-the-odds movie that's been done a million times. But it works, which is why studios keep churning them out and why we keep flocking to see them. This one has the added benefit of true life -- Vince Papale is a real person, and this story really happened. And like prize-fighter Jim Braddock in "Cinderella Man,"Vince gave hope to a lot of people struggling through tough times. They needed something -- and someone -- to cheer for.

This movie is a great portrayal of the gritty, financially-pressed times of south Philly in the mid-1970s. Lots of wood paneling, shag carpet, and cheesy garage-band music give it an authentic feel. The football scenes, filmed in cooperation with the NFL and real football players, are intense -- you can almost hear bones breaking. Not only that, Wahlberg is an awesome athlete who did all his own stunts, so those bruises and welts are the real deal.

And Vince is a likeable guy. You really want him to succeed -- from the first scenes where his wife dumps him to the local-guy-makes-good ending. Greg Kinnear scores a touchdown as Coach Vermeil, and Elizabeth Banks is surely destined to be a big star. With an inspiring story, snappy dialogue, true-to-life characters, and plenty of goosebump scenes, this movie's a winner.

PARENTS SHOULD KNOW: This is an inspiring movie about working hard and not giving up. The PG content is mild – drinking and smoking in the bar scenes, references to the death of Vince's mom, and one passionate kiss between Vince and Janet. Most of the violence is of the football variety – bone-crunching scenes on the football field – but there's also some roughness among the players and one scene where furniture is thrown in frustration.