The power of non-fiction

As I sat here watching the USC vs. Notre Dame Football game, I couldn’t help but remember Rudy. It is definitely on my top 5 all time films and is possibly in the top 5 of all time sports films. We always root for the underdog. It’s human nature. The compelling story of Rudy Ruettiger is definitely the ultimate underdog story and the best part about it: not that he finally plays, not that he makes his father happy, not that he proves his brother and everyone else wrong, but that it’s a true story. I don’t think something could be better than that. If it was fiction, the film would still be such a great viewing experience. However, we would leave the theatre saying that it was just a movie and the plot was scripted so that it all works out in the end. We would ask ourselves why things like this never happen in real life. And we would be stuck in this bittersweet moment of just being entertained so beautifully for the past 116 minutes, but then doubting the beauty of actual reality and the human race. That’s what it would be like if this story wasn’t true. Thank God, it’s a true story. I would pay money to see that film 20 times for the mere fact that when I walked out of that theatre I would be overcome with the warmest and most amazing feelings. And that ladies and gentlemen is why we watch movies.