Rudy
Joliet, Illinois, the 1960’s. In a town where it’s economy was
based on steel, the local Mill is where everyone worked. One such family, lead
by Daniel Ruettiger (Ned Beatty), and his sons, go through life knowing they
are destined to work in the mill and live out their lives there. But one of his
sons, Rudy, is different. He’s a dreamer. And his mind can’t think of anything
else but football. He watches the games on TV, of local college team The Irish,
and fantasises about running out onto the field someday.
We then see Rudy again in school, played by Sean Astin. He’s
a little tyke, but fearlessly plays football with the best and biggest guys in
his school. As his graduation approaches, Rudy has one last training session
and at the end, his coach offers each guy on the team a shot at running down a
line and try to knock him down. The coach is behind a padded guard, and as fast and furious as he runs,
Rudy just doesn’t have the strength to knock the coach down. The lesson behind
this test? The coach says those who don’t knock him down will probably never
play football again. Rudy and his close friend Pete, both fail the test, and
walk off the football field, for what feels like the final time for both of
them.
Over the next four years, Rudy joins the family tradition
and picks up a job at the Steel Mill. Through the hot, hard work, he keeps his
chin up, and every now and then shares his dream, which has still not left him.
“One day, I’m gonna play football for the University of Notre Dame”. If you’re
not aware, this is one of the most prestigious colleges in America, located in
Indiana, and home to Rudy’s favourite football team, the Fighting Irish. His
dad and brother beg him to drop the dream, in a town of working-class men where
dreams have been left behind for the 9 to 5 grind. But Rudy doesn’t give up
that easy. In fact, his high school mate Pete is the only who still believes in
him, and as a token of his trust in his friend’s dreams, gives him an old,
tattered Notre Dame jacket. Rudy puts it on, and never takes it off again.
Soon after, tragedy strikes at the steel mill, which is
enough to push Rudy once and for all to have a shot at this dream. Almost
instantly after the accident at the mill, he boards a bus to Indiana, and heads
straight to Notre Dame. Arriving in the early hours of the morning, the only
person working is the security guard at the gate. Rudy is determined to speak
to someone about studying there immediately, so the security guard points him
in the direction of the College Chaplain. Rudy meets the genuine old man, who
is completely real with Rudy about his chances of getting into Notre Dame, so
does the next best thing, and enrols him in the nearby Holy Cross College. If Rudy
can pass two semesters there, he’ll have a short at applying for Notre Dame
next year. With sheer determination and no idea of the meaning of the word quit,
Rudy applies himself in every way possible, and discovers his greatest test of
all – his own endurance and ability to never give up.
It’s interesting how some movies come into your life. Back
in the early 90’s, I knew who Sean Astin was, as he’d starred in one of my
favourite childhood movies, “The Goonies” and had a couple of hits in the early
90’s with “Toy Soldiers” and ‘Encino Man”, both movies I had seen and enjoyed.
The film Rudy must have slipped in and out of cinemas in Australia, maybe because
it is a film about football at first glance, so they haven’t always hit it big
Down Under. But as you watch the film, you realise the football is just the
backdrop for this story (based on a true one) about the best kind of winners
there are in my opinion – a Dreamer who just won’t Quit. How I came to hear of
this film was through my wife, who worked on a summer camp in Indiana, and
became good friends with another counsellor who studied at the University of
Notre Dame. Her pride and passion for her college, and its legendary football
team, was strong, and she raved on about this film called “Rudy”. At some stage
over the seven years my wife worked at that camp, she picked up a copy of the
DVD, and it sat on our shelf of many films as one we would get around to
watching one day.
But it was just a couple of months ago, during one of my
late night’s working on the business or writing, and listening to music on
YouTube, that the soundtrack to Rudy came up in my suggestions. The film title
rung a bell, so I listened to the music. The score, composed by Jerry Goldsmith,
was touching and inspiring right from the start. It connected with me, as a
piece of music that signified the memory of humble beginnings, then gradually journeying
far from home to discover something special. The music has stayed with me ever
since (and I’m listening to it while writing this review actually), and then I said
to Nicole “Let’s finally watch Rudy”. And watch it we did.
Right from the beginning, this film grabs you. It’s beautifully
shot, well-acted, and carried by the sensitive and centred performance of Sean Astin
in the title role. He fits the role of Rudy Ruettiger perfectly, being a short
guy himself, but with determined eyes, and a strong presence, that shows you
this college student isn’t your average kid from a working-class town. He’s got
something else in him, few from his hometown had – heart. In fact, this doesn’t
go unnoticed by some key characters who meet Rudy in his early days on campus. They
each recognise the gargantuan task of what this kid is trying to accomplish,
but give him their faith, encouragement and confidence none the less.
Against all odds – and there are many – Rudy, works harder than any other student on campus, sleeps
rough, and even gets a job working behind the scenes at the college football stadium.
Any way he can, for however long it takes, Rudy will play football for that team. His upbringings are nothing he wants
to go back to, and his future is a dream that is so strong in his mind and heart,
he can’t see himself doing anything else. It’s this determination and
persistence by Rudy – portrayed brilliantly by Astin – that reels you in and
keeps you hooked for the entire film.
Even if you don’t like movies about American football,
College or anything not made in the last fifteen years, then ditch all those
pre-misconceptions. The football is just the backdrop, the college is a
beautiful place to visit, and this movie harks back to the final days of Golden
Inspirational Cinema in my opinion; the early nineties.
Looking for inspiration? Watch Rudy. It gets to you, as a
film that wears its heart on its sleeve and sweeps along to its magnificent
music. It proves that if you’ve got a dream, and its more important to you than
anything else, it’s worth fighting for, worth living for, and even worth dying
for. The world needs more dreams in my opinion. Rudy was one the great dreamers,
and just hop on line to check out the massive following and impact this movie
has had, via the comments to it’s music or trailer on YouTube. If this review
doesn’t inspire you to go watch it, those comments will.
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