Starring: Sean Astin, Ned Beatty, Charles S. Dutton, Jason Miller, Lili
Taylor, Robert Prosky
Director: David Anspaugh
Producers: Cary Wood and Rob Fried
Screenplay: Angelo Pizzo
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Released by TriStar Pictures
Ever since he was young boy, Rudy (Sean Astin) has wanted to play football for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. There are a few obstacles to this ambition, however -- namely a lack of athletic ability and grades too poor to allow him admission to any college. But Rudy's heart is bigger than his common sense, and, against the advice of his father (Ned Beatty), he makes the bus trip to South Bend in search of his dream. Once there, he begins the struggle against seemingly- impossible odds with the help of a kindly priest (Robert Prosky) and a gruff-but-good-hearted groundskeeper (Charles S. Dutton).
Rudy is intended to be triumphant and inspirational, and, in a cliche-riddled fashion, it attains those aims. Critics of the film will rightfully point out the instances when it wallows in sentimentality, but much of the story is true-to-life. While events along the way have been "Hollywoodized", at least the ending has not been overtly embellished; films of the 1975 game exist to prove that this is how events transpired.
Of course, there is manipulation involved, but much of it is low-key and skillful. A conscious attempt has been made to avoid an overkill of the "feel good" spirit, but the message is clear: if you put your whole heart and mind to something, there is nothing that can't be accomplished. While this theme might ring hollow in a work of fiction, it has a stronger resonance here.
The ending of Rudy is a victory for one person, and for all those in the audience that come to care about him, but it doesn't fall into the same category as the cliched finales of dozens of other sports films. Here, triumph is measured on a different, more personal level, where winning and losing -- and even scoring -- no longer matter. This is an occasion when playing the game is enough.
The performances of Sean Astin and Charles S. Dutton are noteworthy. Dutton has a forceful on- screen presence, and his portrayal of Rudy's unofficial mentor invests this role with more than might typically be expected from it. Astin, a relatively fresh face, has all the tenacity necessary to play the title character. Producer Cary Woods praised Astin, saying that he became Rudy, right down to taking some painful shots during the football sequences.
Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo, who collaborated on Hoosiers (considered by many to be among the best "small" American sports movies), have constructed Rudy using many of the techniques that worked in their earlier film. The same "feel" is present.
It would have been easy to turn Rudy's story into a soppy, overly-sentimental journey, but the film makers have avoided melodramatic overkill. Keeping the performances and direction low-key are obviously a part of that, as was having the real Rudy on the set every day so that the story remained true to his version of what really happened. The cheers in the audience at the end were genuine, which is testimony to the likability (although not necessarily the quality) of the film.
© 1993, 1996 James Berardinelli