Rudy

It is about an attempt to reach for an impossible fool's dream in the form of a sports film, in which for the first half there is no trace of sport. It is the ultimate fulfillment of the lesson "when life throws sticks under your feet, break each one, scrape yourself on the ground, get up, stumble on the next one and do it until all the branches fall off the tree of life or until the others get angry and cut down the tree, so that you find out that all this time you have not seen the forest for that one tree" and… And it's intoxicatingly "feel-good" to the bone. Even Astin's usually rather annoying non-acting knuckleheadedness is an intention here that works in the overall concept. Tasteful kitsch (no, it's not contradictory) that successfully wrings emotions (often undeniably thanks to Goldsmith's music), but not nearly as cheesy as the blurb might suggest. (02/04/2022)

Over the years, there have been many real and fictional heroes in sports films, but I would venture to say that not one of them had a story that compares to what Rudy Ruettiger went through. Why him? Because, ironically, he never won anything, nor was he a miraculous outsider who could beat the wind and rain for one night. First and foremost, Rudy was an incredible hard worker who tried to compensate for his lack of skill with his stamina to become part of his beloved team, at least for a while. But luck and misfortune were both in his favour, as they are in everyone's favour, when every partial success was followed by another obstacle. And this film shows all this in the most faithful, inspiring and, thanks to Jerry Goldsmith's orchestra, spectacular way. Proof that being a bulldog sometimes pays off. Thanks Rudy! (28/08/2017)

Based on the reviews I was expecting a great life drama and, in the end, I got a relatively average American movie that is betting on typical life wisdoms about going through life with the main idea that stems from never giving up and following your dreams. And at times it got pretty solidly boring, by the way. (23/06/2016)

An amazing sports film about the fact that no dream has to be as big and as unfeasible as it seems to someone after all. Rudy really captures the heart, and if you let yourself get captured, you will experience every bit of enthusiasm and every disappointment with him, and get angry and you will be impressed, mainly thanks to the very sympathetic Sean Astin. Although the plot hints at cliché, in the end there is none of that. Both the screenwriter and director were able to skillfully avoid it. And, lest I forget, everything is supported by the completely bombastic Jerry Goldsmith - no one will ever compose such music again. (27/09/2020)