Rarely does a film come along that becomes such a cult hit for sports fans, this is not just about football, but about one young man’s dream to have his chance at playing for the University of Notre Dame. Ultimately, this is a testament to the human spirit and one person’s determination to succeed never giving up no-matter how high the stakes are. The screenplay was written by Angelo Pizzo. This was directed by David Anspaugh who previously had success with Hoosiers (1986) which was another sports film starring Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and the late great Dennis Hopper.
Aside from his performance as Sam in The Lord of the Rings franchise films, this film is certainly one of Sean Astin’s finest performances to date, as the real life Daniel E. ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger. You might or might not recognize Jon Favreau as D-Bob in this film, who befriends Rudy at the school. He has lost a considerable amount of weight since this was released and he is now known more for his directing efforts including Iron Man 2 (2010). His real life friend Vince Vaughn plays Jamie O’Hara in the film Rudy, and has appeared together with him in a number of other films including Swingers (1996) which Favreau also wrote the screenplay for.
The music score by the extraordinarily talented Jerry Goldsmith adds much dimension and depth to this true story. Without it, I doubt it would have received as much attention by critics and sports fans. I still think it would have been good, but it helped a lot aside from the stellar acting efforts by the cast, I put it into my top 5 all time sports films. It truly is a wonderful film to watch, I highly recommend everyone see this one.
Another reason to watch this is the fine performance by veteran Hollywood icon Ned Beatty who portrays Rudy’s father Daniel Ruettiger. His brother Frank Ruettiger is played by Scott Benjaminson. There are more appearances in this such as the talented Charles S. Dutton who plays a man known as Fortune a greens keeper at the stadium. Greta Lind plays Mary; Mary Ann Thebus plays Betty, Christopher Reed plays Pete. Also, keep your eyes open for Lili Taylor who plays Sherry.
This true story originates in a factory type town where a young man has his dream and sights set high to succeed at all costs and do what he really loves. He had many things against him including his academic level, athletic ability and not being physically big enough through most people’s eyes. This didn’t stop him from trying his absolute very best and by the ending of the film; you will see how far these efforts take him. Enjoy this classic true-life tale with friends and family.
If you are in the mood for a light-hearted comedy, then this is a good one to see. It was written by Hugh Wilson and Bill Kelly. Hugh Wilson also directed this. It would be considered a comedy with some drama and romance in it. I thought this was an interesting concept for a comedy film. I found it to be quite amusing and full of funny scenes. It is a classic fish out of water scenario, with a great cast of characters.
The story is about a man, who lived his entire life underground inside of a nuclear fallout shelter built in the backyard with his parents for 35 years. He has been there away from the outside world and living an unusual life. Their home is located within central Los Angeles. Many things have changed since his parents last have seen the outside world. They have no idea how much things have changed, since they last were a part of society. They tried to raise their son with good moral values, and educated him through books and radio programs. Their son Adam turned out to be a straight laced lad played by Brendan Fraser. His parents are played by veteran actors Christopher Walken as Calvin and Sissy Spacek as Helen.
Adam’s heart has grown lonely from all the years away from everyone. He is in search for a girl, and runs into Alicia Silverstone playing the role of Eve ironically enough. (Adam and Eve) (No doubt a reference from the bible) Her best friend Troy is played by Canadian funny man Dave Foley who does his best to help the situation and offers advice. Adam asks Eve to help him find a wife and offers to pay her. This leads to various scenarios and things take a turn in the story after a while.
There are more appearances by Joey Slotnick as the Soda Jerk, Dale Raoul is the Mom, Don Yesso is Jerry, Scott Thomson is the Young Psycho, Ted Kairys is a Navy Pilot, Rex Linn is Dave, and Cynthia Mace is Betty. Hayden Tank, Douglas Smith, and Ryan Sparks all portray Adam at various age ranges.
I hope you get a chance to see this one; it was very good and kept your interest throughout the film. It has some humor to it and was well put together.
