Wick's Review

Summary - Really Great 4.5

Rudy is the first perfect boyhood football movie, if not necessarily the first overall perfect football movie. It beatifies a tough Irish-Catholic boy from Chicago who lionizes football, then plays it and is defined by it.

Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger grew up craning his neck one state over, towards South Bend, home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame football and by extension Notre Dame University was how the Ruettiger men defined themselves, none more than the little man of the family – all 5’6", 185 lbs. of him.

Sean Astin jumped in the box, assumed the position, took on all comers and emerged smiling as Rudy. Combined with his Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings, Patty Duke & John Astin’s son is knock, knock, knocking on Moviestar Heaven’s door.

Rudy is the fraternal twin of Hoosiers, both directed by David Anspaugh from Angelo Pizzo screenplays. Their Indiana Football Movie is deftly knowing about the rough family rhythms of blue-collar Irish-Catholics, boyish dreams and even female desires. Yet the whole thing never gets salacious and mostly avoids the mawkish. Masterful.

You can’t say Rudy overachieves, given its manifold blessings. You can say it’s easy to love.

Acting - Really Great 4.5

Sean Astin is just an inch taller than little Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger. He’s football player cute, bird-dogging girls for an upperclass tutor played by a young Jon Favreau. Astin is in damn near every scene. After all, he’s playing Rudy in Rudy’s biopic. It’s a remarkably good performance.

Dozens of other roles in the huge cast are essential, but none consumes more than a few scenes.

Costars

• Ned Beatty nails the hard Irish Dad, a union man who worked his way up to supervisor at the steel plant. He’s listed as Daniel Ruettiger, guess that would be Daniel Ruettiger Sr. No wonder Rudy had to be Rudy. He couldn’t be Daniel or even Dan apparently.
• Charles S. Dutton delivers an outstanding performance as the head greensman at Notre Dame Stadium, back when you could just hop a low fence to get in. Dutton improves any movie.
• Jon Favreau plays one click this side of the Incredible Hulk, the kind of lunkhead who talks too much in front of guys but is completely mute in front of girls.
• Robert Prosky embodies gravitas as a Notre Dame Priest.
• Ruettiger Family: Scott Benjaminson as Frank, Robert Mohler as Johnny

Huge Supporting Cast

• Several characters are played at multiple stages in their young lives, adding a football team’s worth of child actors.
• Priests: Gerry Becker, Robert Swan, Leonard Kuberski, Father James Riehle as Locker Room Priest, Edmund Joyce and the Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, President of Notre Dame University for 35 years.
• Coaches: Jason Miller as Ara Parseghian – a giant, Chelcie Ross as Dan Devine – who succeeded him, Spyridon Stratigos, John Beasley, Ron Dean, Paul Bergan, Lorenzo Clemons, Sean Grennan
• Players: Scott A. Boyd, William Bergan, Kevin Thomas
• Pretty Girls: Christine Failla, Donna Cihak, Colleen Moore
• Pick-up Girls: Diana James, Mindy Hester, Casey Cooper, Jenna Chevigny
• Girl in Cafeteria: Beth Behrends
• Marie Anspaugh as a Librarian, the only role of her career
• Vince Vaughn’s in there somewhere, a young Vince Vaughn, pre Swingers
• Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger … Fan in Stands

Film - Perfect 5.0

Rudy plays like a modern Christian biblical tale, the Road to South Bend. A crazy kid with a dream never gives up and lives his dream.

David Anspaugh’s masterful film vividly captures a more innocent time, a completely offline time.

• Boyhood Football Perfection
• Slow Clap

From the late, lamented Tristar Pictures.

Only 9 stuntmen. Impressive.

Edge - Risqué 1.9

Reality - Glib 1.2

Joe Montana and others from Rudy’s Fighting Irish football teams have confirmed that several of the movie’s flamboyant situations didn’t occur in real life. Reel Life differing from Real Life? Shocking.

Finally, football from afar doesn’t give a sense of its power. Seeing a short yet normal guy like Rudy next to Division I football players proves how extraordinary is the game, and its elite players.

1 Comment

• Wick Jun 15, 2014 3:28PM

  Regarding BrianSez’s Review
  “something to be learned by all ages who are lucky enough to come across this gem of a movie.” Yep.

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