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.
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.Written by
Brian W Martz <B.Martz@Genie.com>
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. See more »
Goofs
When Rudy is getting his mail, you can see Waddicks cafe behind him, which was not named that until the 1990s. See more »
Quotes
Mateus:
[at practice, Rudy remains on the ground after being pummeled on a block by Mateus]
Hey, little buddy, you all right?
Coach Yonto:
Ruettiger, get out!
Rudy:
[springs up, refusing to be taken out]
I can do it, coach!
Rudy:
[play is run again, but Mateus refuses to block Rudy. Rudy confronts Mateus loudly]
What are you doing? I'm playing defense for Purdue!
Coach Yonto:
Mateus!
[grabs his facemask]
Coach Yonto:
You ain't here to be no nanny in no kindergarten!
See more »
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. See more »
Alternate Versions
Severely cut TV version was disowned by director David Anspaugh. The credited director on this version is "Alan Smithee". See more »
One of my favorite football movies of all time, this film follows in the long tradition of great sports movies which can uplift the spirit through means other than winning the big game and getting the girl or some other typical Hollywood convention. The music, cinematography and acting was excellent in this film, especially considering the terrible film choices Sean Astin had before embarking on this movie. While this was really an homage to Notre Dame football, a person could really look at Rudy and see a little of themselves inside the relatively small man. Charles Dutton had one of the greatest speeches in the history of sports cinema, and he should have gained more notoriety for his performance in this film.
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One of my favorite football movies of all time, this film follows in the long tradition of great sports movies which can uplift the spirit through means other than winning the big game and getting the girl or some other typical Hollywood convention. The music, cinematography and acting was excellent in this film, especially considering the terrible film choices Sean Astin had before embarking on this movie. While this was really an homage to Notre Dame football, a person could really look at Rudy and see a little of themselves inside the relatively small man. Charles Dutton had one of the greatest speeches in the history of sports cinema, and he should have gained more notoriety for his performance in this film.