Knute Rockne All American

Starring: Pat O'Brien, Gale Page, Ronald Reagan, Donald Crisp, Albert Basserman, John Litel, Henry O'Neill, Owen Davis Jr., George Reeves (uncredited)
Directed by: Lloyd Bacon
Rating: Approved
Genre: Drama, Sport
1940

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Knute Rockne comes to America, where he falls in love with football, becomes coach of Notre Dame and changes the game forever.

Review:

Tim: Despite being excited about Knute Rockne All American, I wasn't prepared for how much I would like the movie, nor how much I learned about Notre Dame's most famous coach. This is a classic movie that offers up one of cinema's greatest lines and is all around a very engaging, entertaining film. This is one movie I'd highly recommend.

I was shocked to see how much I didn't know about Rockne. Perhaps most jarring was that I didn't even know how to pronounce his name- it's "Ka-newt", not "Newt". How did I never know that? I also wasn't aware of how he revolutionized the game of football in many ways. I also had no idea that Rockne is the one who put Notre Dame on the map. I laughed when one of the headlines of a newspaper refers to Notre Dame as a school no one has ever heard of- it's remarkable to see how they're still a major collegiate football contender today. This movie was incredibly entertaining, but it was also very eye-opening.

I thought Pat O'Brien was wonderful as Rockne. His performance was warm, unique, and it felt like he was channeling the spirit of the man. I really enjoyed him in this role. It was great fun seeing a young Ronald Reagan. Like many people born in the 1980s, I knew him as the U.S. President and only knew it as a piece of trivia that he was an actor. This is actually the first performance of Reagan I've ever seen. He was quite good as George Gipp. Gale Paige was strong as Rockne's wife. Really though, the whole cast is solid.

I also have to mention the terrific, unforgettable quote- "And the last thing he said to me, 'Rock,' he said, 'sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper.'" It's such a terrific line. Even if you've never seen this movie, you probably know the line, "Win just one for the Gipper". It was great fun seeing that on screen.

The movie did a fantastic job of telling the life of Rockne while also really exploring college football. It was fascinating to see into the mind of a brilliant coach as he worked to build a consistently strong team. I enjoyed the emphasis this film placed on football. Many of the game scenes were quite thrilling and an incredible look into college football many decades ago. I thoroughly enjoyed the mix of character development and football sequences.

Knute Rockne All American is an extremely strong movie. I debated back-and-forth about whether or not to call this a "great" movie. The line is so fine and I struggled mightily. In the end, I erred on the conservative side and called this just shy of greatness. Even now, as I type this, I'm not sure I made the right call. Whatever the rating, this is a must-see movie. I may revisit this some day and see how it holds up on a second viewing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Rudy