Rudy

Director: David Anspaugh David Anspaugh

Overview

A young man learns to let nothing stop him from realizing his ambitions in this drama, based on a true story. Ever since he was a little boy, Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) has dreamed of attending Notre Dame University, and playing on the Fighting Irish football team. However, Rudy's dream doesn't seem very practical; Daniel (Ned Beatty), his father, works in a steel mill and can ill afford to send his son to Notre Dame, while Rudy's grades are not especially impressive, and standing a shade over five feet tall and weighing a little over 100 pounds, Rudy is hardly built for the gridiron. However, with the help of Father Cavanaugh (Robert Prosky), a sympathetic priest, Rudy is admitted to nearby Holy Cross, and in his junior year manages to squeak into Notre Dame as a transfer student. Rudy works as an assistant to the football stadium's groundskeeper, Fortune (Charles S. Dutton), to pay his tuition (often sleeping in Fortune's office since he can't afford a room), studies diligently, and appears at tryouts for the football team. Rudy is made a member of the practice team, which means he's little more than a human tackling dummy, but Coach Ara Parseghian (Jason Miller) is impressed with Rudy's devotion and determination, and pledges that he'll allow him to dress for one game before he graduates, so his name can be recorded as an official member of the team. However, the arrival of a new coach and a tough season that allows for few unnecessary players may put a stop to Rudy's dreams within sight of the finish line. Rudy also stars Jon Favreau, Lili Taylor, and Scott Benjaminson.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/05/1995
UPC:	0043396537231
Original Release:	1994
Rating:	PG
Source:	Sony Pictures

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sean Astin	Rudy Ruettiger
Ned Beatty	Daniel Ruettiger
Charles S. Dutton	Fortune
Lili Taylor	Sherry
John Miller	Ara Parseghian
Robert Prosky	Father Cavanaugh
Jon Favreau	D-Bob
Scott Benjaminson	Frank
Ron Dean	Coach Yonto
Chelcie Ross	Dan Devine
Ron de Roxtra	Pressman
Johanna Ray	Actor
Terri Zarodnick	Mrs. Connally
Sharon Bialy	Actor
Debi Manwiller	Actor
Richard Pagano	Actor
Chris Reed	Pete
Mary Ann Thebus	Betty
Robert J. Steinmiller	Pete-Age 13
John Duda	Frank--Age 15
Gerry Becker	Father Ted
Bob Swan	Father Zajak
John Beasley	Coach Warren
Lorenzo Clemons	High School Assistant Coach
Sean Grennan	High School Assistant Coach
Kevin Thomas	Player from Sidelines
Michael Sassone	Guard
Chris Olson	Dan Dorman
Diana James	Pick-up Girl

Technical Credits

Angelo Pizzo

David Anspaugh	Director
Jane Anderson	Costumes/Costume Designer
Robert N. Fried	Producer
Curt Frisk	Musical Direction/Supervision
Joe di Gaetano	Special Effects
Jerry Goldsmith	Score Composer
Billy Higgins	Production Designer
Robb Wilson King	Production Designer
Lee R. Mayes	Executive Producer
Angela Nogaro	Makeup
Angelo Pizzo	Co-producer,Screenwriter
Martin Price	Art Director,Set Decoration/Design
David Rosenbloom	Editor
Michael Waxman	Asst. Director
Oliver Wood	Cinematographer
Cary Woods	Producer

Editorial Reviews

A tale of the utmost dogged determination, Rudy has come to be considered one of the more resonant guilty pleasures in the pantheon of sports movies -- the kind that brings a tear to the eye of the gruffest of jocks. There's an almost nerdy earnestness about both the film and its main character, played with unblinking intensity by Sean Astin. A hero who wears his love of Notre Dame football proudly on his sleeve, with zero sense of irony, would be almost unthinkable in a 21st century sports movie -- it already seems quaint by 1994. But perhaps that's key to the film's charm. Rudy Ruettiger couldn't accomplish anything if he let people's perceptions of him dictate his choices in life. And since it's based on a true story, there's no cause to blame Rudy's roller coaster of travails and triumphs on screenwriting contrivances. Because the film has a reputation as kind of a B-sports classic -- in the same category as Major League -- it's probably not possible to go in without knowing it has a happy ending. Still, viewers will be pleasantly surprised if they think they know the shape of that ending -- it's much more life-sized than a writer of fiction would conjure. Hoosiers director David Anspaugh presides over the package without being flashy or syrupy, though the sentiment creeps through anyway. Angelo Pizzo is also back from Hoosiers with a sturdy script. Rudy is so much the focus of this script that the other characters tend to get short-changed, particularly Lili Taylor's Sherry. But Ned Beatty and Charles S. Dutton make the most of key supporting roles, and Astin carries the picture home.

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