Common Sense Note
Parents should know that some scenes of bitter disappointment and brutality on the football field might be inappropriate for younger or more sensitive kids. The movie extols the virtues of perserverance and hard work.
Families who watch this film may want to discuss other sports movies. What is appealing about them? Do you ever doubt the outcome? What kind of feelings do they stir up? How does this one compare to other sports films you've seen?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Scott G. Mignola
RUDY's endless climaxes and disappointments, subtle humor, strong characters, and excellent pacing keep it focused and engaging. Based on a remarkable true story, this heartening movie starring Sean Astin is enough to convince even the most cynical that hard work and persistence do indeed pay off.
Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger (Astin) doesn't want to follow his father and brother to the local steel mill when he graduates. He wants what he's wanted since he was a little boy, to play football for Notre Dame. Nothing -- not weak grades, not his small size or lack of athletic ability, not even his relatives' and teachers' conviction that he'll never make it -- is going to deter him.
The path to realizing his dream is littered with seemingly endless obstacles and nay-sayers. But a kindly priest at Notre Dame gets him into a neighboring junior college, a Notre Dame student named D-Bob helps him improve his grades, and a hard-edged groundskeeper (Charles Dutton) gives him a job (and a bed) in the football stadium. With their help, and his own uncrushable will, Rudy gets closer to achieving his dream.
This isn't a movie about a brainy boy, or an unusually gifted boy. It's a movie about perseverance and grueling hard work. Rudy is an unimpressive daydreamer, a working-class kid who almost waits too long to make something of himself. For this boy, education is a stumbling block, a hurdle that must be cleared in order to realize his dream to play football for Notre Dame.
Director David Anspaugh and screenwriter Angelo Pizzo, who teamed up earlier to make Hoosiers, know how to make this kind of story sing. For all of Rudy's rage and frustration and doubt, he has no sticky self-pity, and Jon Favreau adds the necessary humorous touch as the friend who tutors Rudy in exchange for assistance with meeting girls.
The strong supporting cast also includes Ned Beatty as Rudy's emotionally distant father. Beatty can do a lot with simple gestures; the way he refolds an acceptance letter and carefully tucks it into its envelope masterfully conveys his pride in Rudy, though he no longer knows how to talk to his son.
There's much for kids to gain from seeing this movie, not just in Rudy's unyielding determination, but in the personal sacrifices his teammates are willing to make for him. More than the wildest science fiction or fantasy story, Rudy will make you believe that anything is possible.
For a more recent football movie -- this one will also give you lots to talk about -- try Friday Night Lights.
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Social BehaviorThe movie extols the virtues of perserverance and hard work. |
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