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.
