Touching Sports Film

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 2010)

Rudy (1993)
*** (out of 4)
Winning drama tells the true story of "Rudy" Ruettiger (Sean Astin), a man without much athletic talent and even less when it comes to book smarts but he has a dream to suit up for the Notre Dame football team. Director Anspaugh also made the film HOOSIERS, which is certainly a lot better than this one but there's no question that this is yet another winning entry in a genre that can deliver the goods when they get it right. I think these sports movies remain so popular simply because I'm sure everyone has a dream but more often than not these dreams go unfulfilled so when something special comes along and someone does get to fulfill these dreams, it makes for a terrific story and that's pretty much what we've got here. This entire movie is built around everyone telling Rudy it would be impossible for him to even get into Notre Dame let alone actually make the team. What's interesting is that Rudy never dreams about actually playing but instead he just wants to wear the uniform of the team he and his father (Ned Beatty) love. The movie actually contains very little sports stuff as the entire first hour is pretty much building Rudy's relationship with various people including a brain (Jon Favreau) who helps him with his grades and a grounds keeper (Charles S. Dutton) who begins to feel for him. These relationships gets a lot of the running time and it certainly helps make the movie as it shows someone certainly needs help in following their dreams and at times needs a little push in the right direction. I also thought the relationship between Rudy and his relatives made for some nice drama. This was somewhat of a comeback for Astin who made a name for himself years earlier in various teen movies but he does a terrific job here and certainly delivers the performance of his career. The amount of passion and soul he brings to the role certainly makes you care for Rudy and want to see him succeed. The ending is where a lot of the emotion comes from but for me the highlight is when Astin reads the final letter to see if he gets into the school or not. Favreau adds some nice laughs in his supporting role and Beatty is extremely strong as the father. Dutton also gets to shine in a couple good, motivational scenes. I think the one fault with RUDY is that they spend a bit too much time at the start showing how no one believes in the guy. I think there was a bit too much of this as the point is made very clearly and after a while it just seems like we're being hit over the head with the stuff. Jerry Goldsmith's passionate score also brings a lot of emotion to the film. While not one of the greatest sports movies ever made, this is still a very entertaining and moving film that I'm sure will remain a favorite to many people.