Rain Man

Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Barry Levinson (cameo)
Directed by: Barry Levinson
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
1988

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Awards: 4 Academy Awards (1988): Best Picture, Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman), Best Directing (Barry Levinson), Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, screenplay; Barry Morrow, story)

Summary: A self-centered egotistical young man named Charlie(Tom Cruise) just learned his father (whom he hasn't spoken to in many years) has died. When he goes to find out about his inheritance, he finds his father left him practically nothing, and left 3 million dollars to a unnamed benifitiary. He probes deeper into the mystery, and learns he has an autistic savant brother named Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). At first, Charlie is annoyed and frustrated with Raymond. The brothers soon set out on a cross country journey, and along the way, Charlie begins to lose some of his self-centeredness, and finds it replaced with a geniune love for the brother he never knew he had.

Review:

Tim: The film that won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Picture definitely definitely deserves it. Rain Man invokes a number of feelings in the viewer, from an early distaste to Charlie, to wonder and awe at Raymond. By the end of the picture, your emotions have been tugged in so many directions that you're not really sure what to feel.

The main aspect of this film to mention is Dustin Hoffman's performance. He rightfully won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Actor. The performance he gave was brilliant. It's tough to act as a character with medical problems or low intelligence, but many actors have had success doing so. Tom Hanks gave perhaps his best performance to date playing a low I.Q. Alabama man in Forrest Gump, and Leonardo DiCaprio was amazing as a mentally retarded boy in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. However, Hoffman is the one that started it all, and probably with the best performance of this type. I found myself staring at him in awe, wondering how in the hell he played that role. He seems so absorbed in his own world. He is very, very believable as an autistic savant, and is simply brilliant in every scene he is in. While watching the film, I tried to think back to every interview I ever saw with Hoffman in it, or any movie where he played a perfectly healthy man (Sphere came to mind). I kept asking myself- this is the same man? This man can one minute play a brilliant scientist, and the next be the man I see on screen? It is incredible

Now, with Tom Cruise, it's always difficult for me. I have never been a huge fan of him. Sure, I respect some of his work, but something about him always rubbed me the wrong way. He actually does a fantastic job throughout this movie. For the first half an hour or so you just want to slap the hell out of him for being a complete asshole. But as Raymond starts to chip away at his outside asshole-ness, you find your own prejudices and distaste for him to chip away as well. As Cruise slowly learns to love and appreciate his brother, the viewer slowly begins to like and respect Cruise's character. The film is brilliant in that aspect.

The one downside to mention about this film is the ending. Now, maybe I was in a Forrest Gump-ian good feeling mood or something, but I was quite disappointed with how the film ended. I don't know exactly what I expected, but I do know that it wasn't what I saw on screen. I remember watching Cruise, and then the screen suddenly went black and the credits rolled up on screen. I bolted upright in my chair and actually said outloud, "That was it?" Once my initial shock wore off, I have to admit the ending made sense... but I don't watch movies so they will always make sense.

Enough of that, though- I could ramble on for hours. Rain Man is a very good film, one that you need to see if you haven't seen it yet. Cruise is good, but Hoffman is outstanding. His performance will stick with you long after you hit the rewind button at the end of the film. This is definitely a good movie. Definitely def... definitely a good movie definitely.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Apollo 13, Forrest Gump, Sphere, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Sphere, The Shawshank Redemption