"Rudy" received primarily positive reviews from critics. Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" wrote that the film "has a freshness and an earnestness that gets us involved, and by the end of the film we accept Rudy's dream as more than simply sports sentiment. It's a small but powerful illustration of the human spirit." Stephen Holden of "The New York Times" observed that "For all its patness, the movie also has a gritty realism that is not found in many higher-priced versions of the same thing, and its happy ending is not the typical Hollywood leap into fantasy." In "The Washington Post", Richard Harrington called "Rudy" "a sweet-natured family drama in which years of effort are rewarded by a brief moment of glory." Kenneth Turan of the "Los Angeles Times" called the film "Sweet-natured and unsurprising...this is one of those Never Say Die, I Gotta Be Me, Somebody Up There Likes Me sports movies that no amount of cynicism can make much of a dent in." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 78%, based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's consensus reads, "Though undeniably sentimental and predictable, "Rudy" succeeds with an uplifting spirit and determination." Metacritic gave the film a score of 71, based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".