Rudy has a wide appeal because it's more inspirational film than sports film.
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When Irish poet Tony Curtis was asked what he did to avoid writer's block, he quipped, "I just lower my standards." I was reminded of that when I re-watched this refreshing true-story sports film, because it's not all about the usual winning and losing. It's about one young man's dream of just playing football for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Being a star wasn't realistic, since he was "five-foot nothin'" and didn't have great athletic ability. In fact, almost everyone Rudy knew in the blue-collar town of Joliet thought he ought to lower his standards even more, because he didn't even have the grades to get into community college, much less a highly selective school like Notre Dame. But being Irish and a part of Notre Dame's storied football tradition was a dream he refused to abandon.
If the story seems like a pigskin version of "Hoosiers," there's good reason. Angelo Pizzo wrote the script for both "Hoosiers" and "Rudy," and David Anspaugh directed both films. Jerry Goldsmith composed the stirring music for both films, and a young Sean Astin as Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger does as fine a job of bringing emotional depth to his character as Gene Hackman did in "Hoosiers."
"Rudy" has a wide appeal because it's more inspirational film than sports film, with at least half of the screen time devoted to his struggles in high school, at work in the steel mill with his father and brother and best friend, and dogging priests or anybody who'd listen in order to lay the groundwork for his eventual, triumphant entrance into Notre Dame. To his credit, Pizzo is in no hurry to get to the "good stuff," nor does he allow Rudy to wallow in the mire of disappointing turn-downs that dominate the front end of this feel-good success story. Like Cool Hand Luke being pummeled in the fight with the bigger and stronger "king" of the prisoners, Rudy just keeps getting up every time he's knocked down.
"Rudy" is rated PG for "mild language," but aside from the "bullshit" that a member of the stadium grounds crew throws at Rudy when he needs to be set straight, there's nothing in this 1993 film that wouldn't make it suitable for family viewing. In fact, I can't think of a better movie for parents to show their underachieving youngsters. It's the non-Disney, non-princess version of "dreams come true." But I tell you, even Cinderella didn't have to work this hard--and Rudy did it without animal friends and fairy godmothers. The real-life Rudy was a 5'7", 165-pound defensive end, which is a little like Jude Law trying to make it as a sumo wrestler. The real-life Rudy worked at a steel mill until his best friend died in an accident, which prompted him to go after his dream. He was rejected. Then he studied two years at a junior college, reapplying three more times to Notre Dame. Again, he was rejected. And when he finally got into Notre Dame, there was still the little matter of a walk-on trying to make the team. Then-coach Ara Paresghian was all for walk-ons, but not ones this scrawny. Still, Rudy made the prep squad, and for two years he made every practice, serving as a human tackling dummy for the starters as they got ready for each game. But unless he dressed for a game--and practice squad players did not--there was never any record or any acknowledgment of his ever having been a part of Notre Dame football. That meant he could never prove to his unsupportive father or brother that he had accomplished anything. But because the players liked him and found him inspirational, they took up Rudy's cause with new coach Dan Devine when there was one last opportunity for Rudy to suit up. The real Rudy didn't just suit up, but actually got into the game for two plays, made a tackle, and was carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates--the last time a Fighting Irish player was carried off like that.
Pizzo's script stays pretty close to the true story, because, frankly, how much more drama or hardship-to-hero success could you invent than was already here? That puts the burden on telling the story, and Anspaugh knew from experience that if you develop your characters, the story will unfold naturally. It's a little sappy and slow in spots, as well as formulaic--which is no fault of the filmmakers, if they're filming reality. But those are really my only criticisms. The performances may not be Academy Award caliber, but they're awfully good, and Anspaugh knows when to shift gears to change the tone.
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