Similarly, fictionalization for dramatic effect is probably the norm for sports films. Besides Rudy, there was also Friday Night Lights and Remember the Titans. Personally, it really doesn't bother me and in the case of both stories, the films even though they took some liberty with the literal true stories still captured the essence of what really happened with both of the teams featured. ‘Friday Night Lights’ fuses fiction, fact to get to big screen 50 Years Later, the Team Reveals the True Story of Remember the Titans
WHAT??????!!!! Watched again the other night and it didn’t stand up well. Couple of chuckles but not like before. Maybe I should rewatch Blazing Saddles but maybe not - I don’t want to damage my memory of how funny it was.
I don’t watch all the old classics (Airplane, Animal House, SlapShot, Stripes, etc end to end anymore. You’re right about damaging the memory. But I do often go back on YouTube or on the old DVDs for specific scenes. The Autopilot scene in Airplane is always and will always be great.
It strikes me as more offensive than was I was a kid (which is probably a good thing), but comedy-wise, it's held up over the years.