Movie Review: Invictus

Real fans know that a sports team is more than just a bunch of large, grunting guys on a field. It’s a symbol, an emblem of a place and spirit, a chance at common ground in an increasingly fractured world.

This lies at the heart of “Invictus,” released Friday, a film about Nelson Mandela and the South African Sprinkbok rugby team that united the divided nation. Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela in the first weeks of his term as president of South Africa. After spending thirty years as a political prisoner in a tiny cell for his opposition to the governmentally sanctioned and enforced racial oppression known as apartheid, Mandela and black Africans have won control of the government. Deep anger and resentment divide the country, much of it represented by the Springbok rugby team, beloved by the Boer (white, German descendant) South Africans. For as long as anyone can remember, the Springboks are a tangible symbol of apartheid, both to South Africans and to the world.

Plus, they stink.

With their losing record, racial reconciliation is the least of their worries. The new government sports authority can’t wait to dismantle the team. However, Mandela steps in and asks black South Africans not to punish Boers by taking the team away. Then he does something even more incredible. He asks the team to win the World Cup.

Matt Damon plays the white, a-political jock who leads the team to victory competitively as well as morally. The film is uneven, at times feeling like a social studies lesson and at others like an effort to canonize Mandela. Even his weaknesses are presented as side effects of greatness. Perhaps Mandela is worthy of secular sainthood. History will tell, In the film, however, the character is a good deal more than human. He leads by example, spouts wisdom at every turn, and is invariably kind to all.

Accents come and go, although Freeman does a fine job of capturing Mandela’s physical mannerisms. Following the rugby is difficult at times for viewers unfamiliar with the sport, which arguably includes most Americans.

However, the movie’s most powerful points come in catching every day South Africans unconsciously finding connections with each other as they root for their team. A black street urchin edges toward a police car to hear the game on the radio. White fans cheer the team in their homes. Black fans gather in bars. Both stream in together to the stadium or shout encouragement as the team jogs through the streets. Mandela gambled a winning national team would have a unifying effect that would allow him to work on the glaring issues facing his people. The Springboks become “our national team,” something to focus on away from the anger and resentment of the past. They create a small, but important, square of common ground. Black and white wear the same colors, tune into the telly for the same game, and hold their breath for the same desperate play.

It is of such seemingly small things that nations are made.

by REBECCA CUSEY, who is a member of the Television Critics Association and does celebrity interviews, reviews, trend pieces, and event coverage. Her work has appeared in USA Today, Comcast.net, World Magazine, National Review Online, Relevant Magazine, Beliefnet.com, Crosswalk.com, and many other outlets.