Rudy

Anspaugh, whose Hoosiers showed he knows from feel-good movies, directs this story as if he were conducting Bolero, carefully building climax upon climax as the story spirals to an underdog triumph every bit as tearful as that of Rocky.

The film is so effective because Rudy is never seen as mock-heroic, and he's never lifted toward unrealistic achievement. He simply does the very best he can.

Underneath its rah-rah spirit, the PG-rated Rudy is straightforward enough to raise, albeit unintentionally, some troubling questions.

Ideally, this movie should be seen as a double feature with Knute Rockne, All-American, that other great movie about Notre Dame football.

Rudy is one of those beating-the-odds tales that no one does better than Hollywood. A film that hits all the right emotional buttons, it's an intelligent, sentimental drama that lifts an audience to its feet cheering.

[A] well-crafted piece of middle-American uplift.

Rudy is all heart, which provides a greater contrast in the face of continuing pitfalls, as well as a decent protagonist for this uplifting, encouraging tale.

A great example of how "Hollywooding" something up a little can turn a fantastic true story into something that can affect the viewer even more than just the truth. These are the kinds of films that can only be done in America.

A likable if rather bland underdog tale, with director David Anspaugh and screenwriter Angelo Pizzo (who both scored with 1986’s meatier Hoosiers) dutifully checking off the boxes inherent in such Americana fare.

... watching a film like RUDY reminds us that sometimes the power of belief, or as Lasso puts it, “to believe in believe,” is magic enough to set aside cynicism long enough to remind ourselves that dreams that uplift are laudable and should be supported.