Rudy

Location: Ireland

Rudy
All his life, people have told Rudy he's not good enough, not smart enough, not big enough. But nothing can stop his impossible dream of playing football for Notre Dame. From the time he's a young boy, Rudy (Sean Astin) is determined to join the Fighting Irish. But his blue collar family only laughs at his ambitions - they know Rudy will follow his father and brothers to the local steel mill. And, for four long years after high school, he does just that. But some dreams won't die, as Rudy proves when he goes to heroic, occasionally hilarious, lengths to win admission to Notre Dame. Once there, he becomes a walk-on player, serving as little more than a human tackling dummy against the starting players. Bloodied but unbeaten, Rudy wins the respect of legendary coach Ara Parseghian and the other Irish players, who give him one shot at gridiron glory. An incredible true story from the creators of Hoosiers, RUDY is an unforgettable testament to the power of dreams and the triumph of the common man.

"The ROCKY of the 90s." -Paul Wunder, WBAI RADIO

"Two thumbs up. A marvelous performance by Sean Astin." -Siskel & Ebert,

Rudy

Rudy Summary: no title
Comment: A feel-great movie on a par with "Rocky". About goals and dreams and never letting up on either. True story of a kid wanting to play football at Notre Dame. Sean Astin plays Rudy; he is the son of John Astin and Patty Duke. The girlfriend here was in "Household Saints", also released in 1993.

Rudy Summary: Probably a 4
Comment: If I take into effect everything about the movie, I should probably give it a 4, since it is far from perfect. It gets a 5 however from my sheer enjoyment of the film. No matter how many times I see it, I still watch it every time I stumble across it. The acting is fantastic, and the story follows a rocky/karate kid formula. Though if I were to list other movies that I would recommend if you enjoy this, they would be: Hoosiers, Breaking Away, Babe, Remember the Titans, and Miracle. If you want something more than the movie, then go for the special edition, otherwise you can get just the movie itself for under $10.

Rudy Summary: Incredible Movie
Comment: Well I love this movie? It's perfect. I mean, a small-town dreamer goes and practices for the Domers (9-2 baby!) and somehow works his way to get to play in a game and get carried off the field! That's not an easy thing to do! But my opinoin is probably a lot different from other people's because I want to play for the Irish...so a USC fan is gonna hate this moive.
That's all I wanted to say! Bye!

Rudy Summary: True-to-Life Tale of Simple Dreams
Comment: RUDY is the story of a boy chasing a dream, who in the process becomes a man. It is a plot formula that we have seen before, time and time again. So what makes RUDY stand out so much in my mind? I think what makes this film so successful is the fact that it is true to life, unlike many sports films. In your typical "underdog" film, the sports team faces another losing season, only to channel their hopes and dreams into winning the state championship, the World Cup, etc. It is a concept that is generally played out exclusively "on the field," presenting the audience with a myopic view of the world in which sports are the only thing that matters. I often wonder to myself, after seeing such a film, "What happened to them after that?" And unless we're watching THE MIGHTY DUCKS, who decide to answer the question by putting out more movies, that question is left unanswered.

RUDY is very different. Here is a story about a dream. It is not a dream to score the winning touchdown of a bowl game. It is not a dream to play professional football. It is not an unrealizable fantasy that is sloppily achieved through the magic of filmmaking. Instead, it is a simple dream: to dress for one game on the Notre Dame football team. That's it. Moreover, RUDY is not the story of a man who accomplishes his goal in one season. It takes him years of hard work and disappointment. The effect of telling such a story is epic. By the time our hero finally takes the field, the emotional intensity of that moment is much greater than in most other sports movies I've seen. I am generally not really relieved or emotional when the underdog team finally wins the match-even if "We Are the Champions" is playing in the background, asking for our tears. But I wanted to see Rudy (Sean Astin) take the field so bad, I was extremely involved in the film.

Sean Astin does an incredible job in this role and I think it is by far one of the best performances of his career. In short, if you like sports movies in which the underdog triumphs in the end, you will love RUDY. It blows the genre out of the water. Instead of focusing solely "on the field," this film focuses more on the transformation of Rudy's character and the surrounding details and experiences of his life. RUDY is definitely worth owning in your collection.

Rudy Editorial Reviews:

This 1993 film by David Anspaugh (Hoosiers) is slowly building a reputation as a minor highlight of '90s movies. Based on a true story, Rudy stars Sean Astin as Rudy Ruettiger, a blue-collar kid whose father (Ned Beatty) worships Notre Dame football but who would never dare to dream that any of his sons could be a part of the team. The film is entirely about Ruettiger's ceaseless if sometimes wavering commitment toward that goal, despite tremendous obstacles in physical stature, education requirements, the dismissiveness of coaches, poverty, his father's envy, and endless delays of one kind or another. This is the sort of film that looks back on a life and says the battle was its own reward, not the glory. Astin is very moving as a boy who becomes a man and watches his world change, often in unexpected ways, through painful determination. Great support from Beatty, Lili Taylor as a hometown girl, and Robert Prosky and Charles S. Dutton as two valuable mentors. --Tom Keogh

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