One of the better football movies

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2009)

My pastor once said that the only time guys are willing to admit they cried is while watching the end of "Rudy." This is one of the better football-themed movies I have seen, mostly because it does not revolve around the tired old plot of a football team who must overcome their differences and work together to win the game. Instead, the focus here is on one person (Rudy, played nearly perfectly by Sean Astin) and how he proves he can make it to Notre Dame and play on their football team, despite what everyone said. The plot is still typical and predictable, but how well the filmmakers took a true story and turned it into something engaging and watchable is what makes this a worthwhile film. What this film teaches us is that we cannot wait around for our dreams to fall into our laps. We must work for them. Rudy had to work to get better grades, get admission to Notre Dame, get a job just to know the field better, and eventually convince the coach to let him play. It's Rudy's interactions with those he comes into contact with throughout the movie, and the effort he puts forth to everything he does, that makes this film good. Not outstanding in every way, but inspiring and uplifting, and it has a great, memorable film score as well.
*** out of ****