AmateurMovieReviews.com

For me, the best sports movies are those that focus on underdogs. You know what I mean: when teams or individuals that are undersized and underpowered dig deep and come up big against a favored opponent. There seem to be very few areas in life where people continually push themselves to the limit, but sports is one of them. It makes for interesting drama, which is why there's never a shortage of sports films at the video rental store. One of the best sports movies out there is 1993's Rudy.

Rudy is based on the true story of a young man named Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, played by Sean Astin. Rudy hails from a large, blue-collar, devoutly Catholic family in the Chicago area. The entire family lives and dies with Notre Dame football, and are slightly amused when a young Rudy tells them he will play for the Fighting Irish someday. Kids from the Ruettiger's neighborhood just don't end up at Notre Dame.

What started out as a childhood dream persists with Rudy even as a young adult. He doesn't immediately go to college after high school, but starts working in a steel mill with his father and brother. After a tragic accident claims the life of Rudy's best friend, he decides that the time to pursue his dream is now. Rudy's whole family thinks he's crazy when he says he's moving to South Bend to go to Notre Dame, but they reluctantly let him go.

Unfortunately for Rudy, it's not as easy to get into Notre Dame as he thought. He can't just walk on campus and start enrolling in classes. Instead, he has to take classes at nearby Holy Cross until his grades are good enough to meet Notre Dame's rigorous standards. Rudy's first application to Notre Dame is rejected, as are many subsequent ones. But Rudy is nothing if not determined, so he keeps plugging away until he finally does get in.

Once admitted to the university, Rudy can try out for the football team. The problem is, he's the smallest guy out on the field (by far) and not exactly the most talented. As you might expect, a program like Notre Dame, with such a storied history and deep-rooted tradition, attracts the top college football prospects in the nation, so it would be a stretch for even extremely gifted athletes to make the team, let alone someone like Rudy.

As expected, Rudy is cut during summer workouts. It's a crushing blow that looks like the end of his lifelong dream. But that old determination kicks in again and Rudy works his butt off to earn a spot on the practice squad. This is a thankless position that keeps Rudy suspended between two worlds. Though he can practice with the real team, he's not officially recognized as a member of that team. So his dream hasn't quite come true yet.

Since it took Rudy so long to get into Notre Dame, he only has a small window of opportunity to turn his dream into a reality. With the help of a groundskeeper named Fortune (Charles S. Dutton) and a friend named D-Bob (Jon Favreau), Rudy is eventually able to run onto Notre Dame stadium as a member of the Fighting Irish.

Even though anyone who is remotely familiar with Rudy's story knows what happens in the end, it doesn't prevent this movie from hitting all the right notes and being a very emotionally satisfying experience. I've seen Rudy a number of times and I still get choked up at the end every time I view it. That's pretty powerful stuff, if you ask me.

I thought Sean Astin was terrific as Rudy. He really looked small out there among the other players, which added to the enormity of what this guy did. Can you imagine what it would have taken for a guy of Rudy's size and stature to earn a place on the Fighting Irish roster? The accomplishment was nothing short of amazing.

Rudy is a truly inspirational film that reminds us how important it is to pursue our dreams no matter how far-fetched they seem and no matter how many times other people tell us we can't do it. This is a must-see movie that is suitable for any viewer and will strike particularly close to home for those who have ever played sports.