One of my favorite football movies of all time, this film follows in the long tradition of great sports movies which can uplift the spirit through means other than winning the big game and getting the girl or some other typical Hollywood convention. The music, cinematography and acting was excellent in this film, especially considering the terrible film choices Sean Astin had before embarking on this movie. While this was really an homage to Notre Dame football, a person could really look at Rudy and see a little of themselves inside the relatively small man. Charles Dutton had one of the greatest speeches in the history of sports cinema, and he should have gained more notoriety for his performance in this film.

Sean Astin stars in the true story of Daniel E. Ruettiger, aka Rudy who wanted more than anything else to play for Notre Dame's legendary Fighting Irish football team. To be part of the legend that is Notre Dame, the legend of Knute Rockne, George Gipp, The Four Horsemen, Frank Leahy, Johnny Lujack, Terry Brennan right up to when Astin entered the college with Ara Parseghian as the coach.

The right actor was cast in the lead, Sean Astin is short, but built like outdoor brick lavatory. Good enough for high school football where only a very few go on to college on athletic scholarships and those are big guys who might just make it in the professional leagues. But in Indiana, especially around South Bend, it's Notre Dame which is the be all, end all for football. Very similar in culture that way to southern towns, but with a Catholic twist to it.

We see young Rudy listening to records of Knute Rockne's fighting speeches and imitating them. If memory serves the one he's listening to is the same one Pat O'Brien used in Knute Rockne - All American.

Astin actually makes the team when he impresses everyone with his grit and heart. And he proves to be more than a mascot type, he's an inspiration to his teammates and to the audience watching Rudy.

Look for fine performances from Ned Beatty as his blue collar father, Robert Prosky as a sympathetic priest/member of the Notre Dame faculty and Charles S. Dutton who is maintenance worker and former member of the Fighting Irish fallen on some hard times.

Rudy's a very old fashioned film, the kind Hollywood used to make in abundance, but sadly not any more. Great viewing for football fans of all ages.

This is a 10 hankie movie. Every part of the movie is made to make you cry. If you look for underdog in the dictionary, you'll see the face of Rudy. Sure the movie is manipulating us. For that I'll subtract a point. But it's something I'll mostly overlook because the manipulations work so well. The fact is Rudy has become bigger than a simple movie. It is the standard for underdog sports movies. It has become a synonym to inspirational.

Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger (Sean Astin) is a poor student and a small physical specimen. Only he has the heart of a lion. He dreams of nothing else other than to play for Notre Dame football. Nobody believes in him other than maybe his best friend Pete. His father's (Ned Beatty) tale of how his grandfather abandoned his family for a dream is heartbreaking. The father's advise is gut wrenching. His fire is almost extinguished when Pete dies in an industrial accident. This drives him to pursue his dreams which borders on delusional.

The story piles on the obstacles facing Rudy. It is overkill and works beautifully. It is heartbreaking every time it happens. The music pulls at the emotional strings. They pile on more obstacles. Even though I know there are manipulations, it doesn't matter. It gets me every time.