Rudy (PG, 1993)

Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger (Sean 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 naysayers. 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.

RUDY's endless climaxes and disappointments, subtle humor, strong characters, and excellent pacing keep it focused and engaging. It's a movie about perseverance and grueling hard work. Rudy is an unimpressive daydreamer, a working-class kid for whom education is a stumbling block, a hurdle that must be cleared in order to realize his dream to play football for Notre Dame.

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, but proud father. There's much for kids to gain from 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.