Size does matter... if we're speaking of the heart!

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2018)

There was a man who once said "I want to be Chateaubriand or nothing". His name was Victor Hugo.
Yes, even the great Hugo was a wannabe. We all want to be something, someone we idolize, a part of a dream we treasure. Yes, it all starts with a dream and I know it's a cliché, and it's been so trendy to invite everyone to believe in their dreams, that you wonder whether the real deal wouldn't be to set your mind up for realistic anticipations of the future and just try to live a "nice" and "happy" life. If only it could be that easy.
I guess I had the wrong idea about "Rudy", I thought it was going to be one of these 'feel-good' underdog stories, like a "Rocky" of the 90's (even the titles sound the same). I also thought it was going to overplay the height issue as a serious handicap to play football (well American football is not the football as we call it here... the one that allows pint-sized Leo Messi to be the best player in the world). So yes, I thought it was going to be an inspirational movie about a guy who -you know- believed in himself and achieved his dreams. Well, it was... but it was more than that. It doesn't take an underdog to make a good story, it still takes a good story and an endearing character.
And "Rudy", from "Hoosiers" director David Anspaugh, doesn't just meet with your expectations, it challenges them in a very subtle and intelligent way, one that can be summed up in one sentence: "Dreams are what make our lives tolerable". I can't tell who said that and when, but the line was immediately printed in my mind. Yet the film isn't about dreaming. It isn't even about fulfilling your dreams, it's about the will, the decision, the spirit, the energy and ultimately, the journey. The dream in itself is crazy but is handled in a realistic way (the film is based on Rudy Ruettiger's true story) it's not about a small guy who wants to be the star of Notre Dame football team, but who wants to play at least one game. And personally, I prefer dreams that start with "I wish if I could only one time" rather than "I want to be this or that".
"Rocky" wasn't about becoming the heavyweight champion but about going the distance, and in "Rudy" Sean Astin gives an extraordinary performance, as Oscar worthy of a nomination as was Sly in 1977, like Rocky, he's not just an underdog in the game, but in his own family or circle of friends where his dreams are swept off by the brush of reality, except for one true friend who believes in him (like others will do). After finishing college, Rudy almost renounces and joins his Dad (Ned Beatty) and brothers in the steel mill, until a tragic event "derails" his path of life for good. No need to spoil it.
Paraphrasing Hugo, Rudy wants to be a "Fighting Irish at least once or nothing" and the whole film is a harrowing odyssey where we follow each step that gets him closer to his dream: getting the sponsors, having good grades in prep school, joining Notre Dame, then the practice team... but said like this, it doesn't do justice to how exhilarating it is, when Rudy's happy, we share his joy when he's disappointed, we share his bitterness and when he cries, we shed a few tears. In fact, there's something communicative about Rudy's energy, just see how slowly the magic operates and some start to believe he's got the heart of a true fighter, if not the body. Look at how the players get progressively impressed by his fearless energy.
Yet it's still about the journey, the realization, sometimes you dream of reaching the top of the mountain, and maybe you can't make it. But instead of staring at the unreachable summit, the film invites you to look down and contemplate the beautiful landscape and see what you've done. Of course, some climbers fall and there's a poignant scene where Ned Beatty tells his son the story of his grandfather who lost everything because he chased a stupid dream. And over the course of his journey, even Rudy himself thought of quitting... and it made me think.
Then I realized that the moment where Rudy was in the game, the film could have stopped right there. I didn't care if he'd win or get an ankle broken, he had just made it. And the film could have even ended right after what I think was the best 'pep talk' ever, one from Fortune the groundskeeper (Charles S. Dutton), his speech wasn't about "getting hit and keeping moving" but about valuing the hits and the movement. I guess what the film tries to say is that there's a thin line between dreaming and chasing a dream. Dreaming is nothing if you don't start to chase the dream.
Because when there's something that eats you deep inside, you know you just got to chase it. Because for a dream-chaser (I didn't say dreamer) there's nothing worse than stopping. When you stop, you settle down, you feel safe and secure... for a while. You start noticing other dream-chasers and you pity them because you know most of them won't make it. And it's true. But that also means a minority will make it. And when you'll see people achieving YOUR dreams, you're going to hate and pity yourself, and Rudy's brother for most of the film is consumed by envy and self-pity.
Lennon said "Life is what happens while you're making plans", maybe the real delight of life is the stuff that happens in order to make your plans go true, even a tiny bit true. On that level, Rudy was quite a delightful film... and to use an overused expression, they don't make like them anymore.