A movie “based on a true story” leaves much room for fictionalizing the narrative. Yet, “Rudy,” claimed Rev. William Beauchamp, former executive vice president of Notre Dame, represented Daniel Ruettiger’s Notre Dame journey well. University officials, including Beauchamp, reviewed the script prior to filming to ensure its accuracy. “We didn’t change much,” he told The New York Times.
Some revisions to the truth became necessary to upgrade the drama, including one of “Rudy’s” most powerful scenes when the Notre Dame football players, one by one, placed their jerseys on coach Dan Devine’s desk to convince him that Rudy deserved to dress for the last game. The moment resonates in the film, but it’s just a piece of movie-making. “There’s not an iota of truth to it,” said Devine to The Times. “Rudy was on the original dress list and there was never any intention to hold him out of the game. And anybody who knows me knows that if any kid came in and put his jersey on my desk, he’d never see it again.”
Screenwriter Angelo Pizzo thought the changes were necessary to “capture the key truthful element and let the drama take over. This wasn’t a documentary,” according to another New York Times article. In fact, just relying on the truth might temper the movie’s ending. Ruettiger did play on the field for 27 seconds, according to the Los Angeles Times, but not everything in the finale happened.
