Rudy is the low-key but inspirational true story of Rudy Ruettiger and his dream of playing for top American Football team Notre Dame.

'Look at you,' says Fortune (Charles S Dutton), a groundsman at Notre Dame stadium. ' You're five-foot-nothing, you weigh a hundred and nothing, and with hardly a speck of athletic ability.'

But Rudy (Sean Astin) bucks these seemingly insurmountable shortcomings to make his dream come true.

Although the plot does appear to been a well-worn cliché, the story is told well, without lashings of sentimentality and given weight by the fact that it is true.

Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo are on familiar ground here, as they also made the similarly effective Hoosiers.

Astin is perfectly cast as the ambitious and determined Rudy.

Backing him is a strong cast that includes Ned Beatty, Dutton and Robert Prosky.