Rudy (1993)

Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.

Director:

David Anspaugh

Writer:

Angelo Pizzo

Stars:

Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Astin	...	Daniel E. 'Rudy' Ruettiger
Jon Favreau	...	D-Bob
Ned Beatty	...	Daniel Ruettiger
Greta Lind	...	Mary
Scott Benjaminson	...	Frank Ruettiger
Mary Ann Thebus	...	Betty
Charles S. Dutton	...	Fortune
Lili Taylor	...	Sherry
Christopher Reed	...	Pete
Deborah Wittenberg	...	Young Sherry
Christopher Erwin	...	7-Year-Old Mark
Kevin Duda	...	9-Year-Old Bernie
Robert Benirschke	...	11-Year-Old Mark
Luke Massery	...	13-Year-Old Rudy
Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.	...	13-Year-Old Pete

Storyline

Rudy grew up in a steel mill town where most people ended up working, but wanted to play football at Notre Dame instead. There were only a couple of problems. His grades were a little low, his athletic skills were poor, and he was only half the size of the other players. But he had the drive and the spirit of 5 people and has set his sights upon joining the team.

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Plot Keywords:

college football | football movie | notre dame university | aspiration | character name as title | 

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Taglines:

When people say dreams don't come true, tell them about Rudy

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

22 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bourák

Filming Locations:

1718 E. 119th. Street, Whiting, Indiana, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$22,750,363

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In real-life Dan Devine was very supportive of Rudy and elected to put him in the game on his own. Because Devine considered Rudy a friend, he volunteered to play a villain in order to get the film greenlit.

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Goofs

When the team captain walks into the head coach's office, there is a pen holder with two pens on the edge of the desk. Since laying the jerseys on top of the pen holder would have caused them to tent (instead of lay flat), it is conveniently missing before the jerseys are laid on his desk.

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Quotes

Dan Devine: No one, and I mean no one, comes into our house and pushes us around.

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Crazy Credits

This is one of the few films in which the infamous "Alan Smithee" is given directorial credit for ONLY the commercial TV version. If viewed on VHS, DVD, pay cable etc... David Anspaugh is given his proper credit as director in the opening credits. However the editing for extra commercials on the free TV version is done so heavily -which alters the context- that Mr Smithee is the "director" when this film is shown there.

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Alternate Versions

Severely cut TV version was disowned by director David Anspaugh. The credited director on this version is "Alan Smithee".

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Connections

Referenced in Friday Night Lights: East of Dillon (2009)

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Soundtracks

Nitanny Lion
Written by James A. Leyden

User Reviews

A terrific inspiring movie

This is a movie for everyone who ever felt like the little person, overlooked by those who were bigger or more popular. "Rudy" had kind of a lame title for a sports movie, and i remember the first time I saw a preview of it, I was totally moved and involved by the scenes and then guffawed aloud at the end when the announcer intoned, "RUDY." That set the rest of the theater laughing too, so imagine my surprise when i saw it a couple months later and it was a 10 out of 10 in my book. I'm not even a sports fan but this movie got me. It shows the power of faith to get by with any frustration in life, the performances are great and it's a shame that Sean Astin had to wait eight years to get another great break with "Lord of the Rings." His is a worldclass performance in this film, see it as it is one of the most inspiring films you'll ever see.