71
Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90VarietyLeonard KladyVarietyLeonard KladyRudy 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. In the current filmgoing climate, this is an easy winning touchdown that should score big returns.
- 90Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversSean Astin is a winner as Rudy Ruettiger, who earns the grades, a place on the scout team and, in 1975, a chance to play... There’s little Rocky-like rah-rah. It’s Ruettiger’s persistence that his teammates and the film celebrate. For that, Rudy earns a rousing cheer.
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertAstin's performance is so self-effacing, so focused and low-key, that we lose sight of the underdog formula and begin to focus on this dogged kid who won't quit. And the last big scene is an emotional powerhouse, just the way it's supposed to be.
- 80Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. Jones[A] well-crafted piece of middle-American uplift...For once it really does matter most how you play the game.
- 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."
- 70Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranSweet-natured and unsurprising, about as hard to resist (and as intellectually demanding) as an affectionate puppy, this is one of those Never Say Die, I Gotta Be Me, Somebody Up There Likes Me sports movies that no amount of cynicism can make much of a dent in.
- 70The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenRudy shamelessly manipulates the heartstrings and pumps the adrenaline. There are many moments in which it seems like nothing more than a promotional film for Notre Dame...For all its patness, the movie also has a gritty realism that is not found in many higher-priced versions of the same thing, and its happy ending is not the typical Hollywood leap into fantasy...Most important, it has a tough, persuasive performance by Mr. Astin that keeps the role firmly in perspective.
- 60IGNIGNBased on a true story, the whole thing is a sloppy mess of football wishes and caveat dreams that will forever be remembered, but never watched in just one sitting.
- 60Washington PostRichard HarringtonWashington PostRichard HarringtonIt's a sweet-natured family drama in which years of effort are rewarded by a brief moment of glory. Its corny, cartoonish finale makes "Rocky" look like "Bullwinkle." Still, you'll have to forgive the lump in your throat and the tear in your eye.
- 50TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineWithout understanding his motives, it becomes easy to lose patience with a character so obsessively devoted to a single, largely meaningless goal. Ultimately, RUDY is an inconsequential, if moving, contribution to the sports-movie genre.