Today’s quick review: Rudy. Ever since he was a child, Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) has had one dream: to play football at Notre Dame. However, his poor grades and lack of athletic ability have kept him from even coming close. After the death of a friend, Rudy decides to gamble everything on his dream. Moving to Notre Dame, he picks up work as a groundskeeper, enrolls in a college nearby, and toils night and day for the chance to join the Fighting Irish.
Rudy is a sports drama that’s based on a true story. Rudy follows its title character as he puts his heart and soul into a long shot: the slim chance of transferring to Notre Dame and walking onto the football team there. The movie is a heartfelt story of hope and perseverance, and the drive of its main character makes it an inspiring watch. However, Rudy depends heavily on the audience connecting with its lead, making it somewhat hit-or-miss.
Rudy’s defining feature is the enthusiasm of its main character. Rudy Ruettiger is single-minded in his pursuit of his dream, willing to do whatever it takes just to get one step closer to it. His boundless determination wins over not only the people he meets, such as head groundskeeper Fortune (Charles S. Dutton) and Coach Parseghian (Jason Miller), but the audience as well. His effort, setbacks, and victories give the movie plenty of heart.
The drawback is that Rudy relies on its main character for nearly all of its appeal. Ruettiger’s enthusiasm is infectious, but it may not make sense for someone who isn’t as passionate about football. His obsessive personality, the naive way he pursues his dream, and his small-scale victories are factors that will rub some viewers the wrong way. For a viewer who can’t struggle alongside Ruettiger, the entire movie will miss the mark.
Even so, Rudy has a strong enough story to be well worth a shot for anyone interested in its subject matter. Rudy is a focused and well-crafted story about one young man’s dream, and it accomplishes the difficult task of making that dream tangible for the audience. For the wrong viewer, Rudy simply won’t resonate; for the right one, it will have an incredible impact. For a similarly inspirational sports drama, try The Natural.
7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for a heartfelt story with considerable upshot potential.