Rudy (1993)

Directed by David Anspaugh. Starring Sean Astin, Charles S. Dutton, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty, Jason Miller, Robert Prosky, Mitch Rouse, Ron Dean, John Beasley, Chelcie Ross, Christopher Reed, Lili Taylor, Greta Lind, Scott Benjaminson. [PG]

Corny crowdpleaser (“slow clap” scene and all) telling the based-on-truth story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger (Astin), an undersized, working-class Joliet kid who dreams the impossible dream of playing college football for the University of Notre Dame despite being a below-average student and insubstantial athlete. A movie that knows exactly what it is, overflowing with the earnest sincerity that makes its underdog subject so easy to root for. Sure, the tactics can be shameless, the mythos-worship surrounding the school turns tedious, and the filmmakers overplay their hand so often that viewers could be forgiven for expecting that any hokey moment could be on its way next (would it really have been much of a stretch if Dutton’s groundskeeper character turned around to leave at the end and vanished into thin air, revealed to be a ghost the whole time?)…but with Jerry Goldsmith’s irresistibly rousing score firing away in the background, only a complete crab (or mule-stubborn USC diehard) will remain unmoved. Vince Vaughn has a small role, making this his first film collaboration with real-life pal Favreau (though they don’t share any scenes). The real “Rudy” cameos in the stands during the final game.

69/100