Rudy has always been told he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.
Rudy (Sean Astin) dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame. His family and friends often make fun of him because he is not athletic and does not get good grades. However, through his perseverance and attitude, he eventually accomplishes his dream.
“Rudy” is considered a classic sports film, but I had never seen it until now. Sports and I usually do not mix, but I enjoy an underdog story. The story here is very centralized, which I appreciate.
Like Rudy and his family, part of my family reveres the University of Notre Dame. My father and uncle were both pressured to go there and eventually attended the university. It’s a reverence that I have never understood, quite frankly, and thankfully, the later generations of my family didn’t have this same pressure passed down to them. So, when Rudy went on and on at the beginning about wanting to go there, I was a bit turned off by this film simply because I didn’t like the school and didn’t care about football.
However, I began to get invested once Rudy got into the University of Notre Dame and started as a walk-on player for their football team. He is so close to his dream but isn’t quite there yet. Despite being dwarfed by the other players, being repeatedly tackled and beat up, and suffering through who knows how many head injuries, he gets back up and puts in effort to do better. If there is one thing to admire about Rudy, it’s his tenacity. No matter the ridicule or how many rejections he faced, he never stopped trying.
Sean Astin gives an excellent performance. I’m a fan of his, mostly from “The Lord of the Rings” films. But seeing him in a leading role is nice, as I’ve only seen him in supporting ones. Here, he conveys a fine line between being sweet through his naïveté and dreams and being overbearing.
The last half hour or so of this film is also electric. Here, Rudy finally gets his big win, which is great to see. The celebratory nature of this scene is infectious, and you can’t help but have a smile on your face.
As for nitpicks, the plot is formulaic, with underdog elements. I also wish we learned more about Rudy’s friend, Pete. Otherwise, “Rudy” is a rightfully acclaimed feel-good sports drama with a fantastic central performance from Astin.
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