Does the story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, the lilliputian Notre Dame walk-on who logged a sack in his only on-field appearance, define an era of grit and determination? Or, is it simply the bedrock of yet another poorly cloaked American hustle?
Our panel of experts, including Notre Dame graduate Jessica Smetana, Notre Dame reject Conor Orr and senior writer Charlotte Wilder discuss whether the seminal 1993 feature starring Sean Astin should be taken at face value, or whether the real Rudy's subsequent life, combined with the underbelly of the movie's casting, formation and freewheeling relationship with the truth, should have this ultimately labeled as a “Bad Football Movie.