Overwiew :One of the most heartwarming tales ever committed to film, the true story of Daniel E. 'Rudy' Ruettinger (Sean Astin, THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) is an underdog drama that escapes--for the most part--the pitfalls of sentimentality. Set in 1960s Joliet, Illinois, Rudy lives in a staunchly blue-collar steelworkers' community. Despite his obsession with Notre Dame and college football, Rudy goes to work in the mill alongside his father and brothers directly after his high school graduation. It takes the accidental death of his best friend to inspire Rudy to pursue his dream of playing for Notre Dame. As everyone in his life is quick to point out, Rudy lacks the brains, brawn, and financial means to ever achieve his goal, but he sets out for South Bend just the same, enrolling in a junior college and trying out for the team as a walk-on. Eventually Rudy becomes a member of the practice team, where he displays such a strength of heart and fierceness of will that he touches and inspires all those around him, including the groundskeeper, Fortune (Charles Dutton), the tough-talking coach (Jason Miller), and even his nay saying father (Ned Beatty). Director David Anspaugh, who scored a previous hit with 1986's HOOSIERS, delivers an earnest sports film that concentrates on character and detail, with Sean Astin turning in a remarkably understated, subtle performance.
www.boxoffice.com - : The true story of Rudy Ruettiger, a working class kid with a seemingly impossible dreams of playing football for Notre Dame, is the basis of 1993's ''Rudy,'' one of the better Hollywood underdog sports tales in recent years. For those who normally decry this type of filmmaking, the same complaints will apply here -- it is unabashedly sentimental and tugs at the heartstrings with no hint of shame or subtlety. On the plus side, it's a reliable crowd-pleaser whose tactics do, for the most part, work. more...
www.washingtonpost.com - : Get ready for this combination: a Win-One-for-the-Gipper fable mixed with ''Flashdance.'' And throw in ''The Wizard of Oz,'' while we're on the subject. In ''Rudy,'' burly Midwest steelworker Sean Astin dreams of playing football for the Fighting Irish, even though he doesn't have the grades. more...
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