Rain Man (1988)

Rain Man is an American comedy-drama road film that grossed $354.8 million over a budget of $25 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1988.  It is rated M for adult themes, low level coarse language (in Australia).  The following are the 10 most recent reviews for the film on IMDb.

10/10

Well done Dustin Hoffman WELL DONE!! O & u to Tom lol

tazz-708928 January 2019

Warning: Spoilers

MUST WATCH! I have been wanting to see this, but ended up forgetting about it till thanx to Kristen who watched it & reminded me.. Rain main was inspired by a well known savant named Kim Peek who is watched over by Darold Treffert. Now this is not based off a true story just an inspiration the director found in Kim. The things Kim can do is well beyond amazing to me & breaks my heart he can’t live up to the amazing abilities his mind can reach. Now as for the movie itself we all know Tom Cruise is a damn good actor who plays Charlie Babbitt, but in this movie Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt does WAY MORE than an outstanding job of fitting right into Kim Peeks personality, the way he moves, thinks, & expresses himself. I honestly don’t think there would have been anyone else besides Dustin to act as Kim. Now not sure if anyone noticed that Rain Man is “Raymond” which was Charlie’s “imaginary friend” that he explained to Susanna. The movie played out pretty well showing how one can realize family can truly be important to one who really has a heart. Yet some people need that extra push to see that family is important at all times even if u never ment them. Kim/Raymond has no clue what is going on in the world, but he knows what makes him happy family, money, or not. Yet he found connection with is “main man” & found a brother he never knew existed outside of living with his father. He may not have ever forgotten him, but he has no clue if he still existed which is y Raymond may not have recognized him showing no compassion or emotion towards him. Bet he will be this time in 1,209,600 seconds & betting more he will be excited to see him.

10/10

Ten stars are too litle!!!!!!!!

vagos-686932 January 2019

I am 47…Saw the movie for the first time in my life unfortunately….JUST LOVED IT…

9/10

A Relational Journey

michele_h20112 January 2019

Just recently watched this movie for the first time and it was great even decades later!

It’s probably important to note that it’s the type of movie that focuses on relationship and character development over intricate plot details. It could feel somewhat slow if you’re not expecting this.

The acting, character quirks and relationships are realistic and heartwarming! Loved it

9/10

Greatest performance by Hoffman, but why no award for Tom cruise ?

wikkifoo26 December 2018

Fantastic movie. Fantastic acting by Dustin Hoffman and Tom cruise . Dustin got Oscar for actor but why Tom didn’t nominated for supporting actor and won it .. why academy have issue with Tom cruise. He is the biggest movie star of all time.

10/10

A perfect film for me

RainManofthe2010s1 December 2018

For most of my life, I have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Before I watched “Rain Man”, I felt embarrassed to be stuck with that disorder even when I got to the age of 18.

However, I feel proud to be able to remember a large load of trivia and do some advanced math, like Ray does in this movie. Although he and I share a lot common, the disorder to me is not as severe as him.

Some things we have in common include: -We often watch “Jeopardy!” -We like to mark down stuff we want to remember for the rest of our lives (Ray does it with his notebook, I do it with my computer) -We are good at math (although I can’t really calculate massive numbers like he can, e.g. “How much is 312 x 123?”, “How much is 4343 x 1234?” & “How much is the square root of 2130?”)

Some things that differ us include: -Ray’s fear of airplanes (particularly airlines that crashed) -Ray going to one single store in the world to get his groceries (Kmart at 400 Oak St., Cincinnati, OH) -I am fluent in 5 other languages: Spanish, French, Italian, German and Russian (it is unknown if Ray knows how to speak any other language or detect which foreign language the text shown on one thing is)

Although Ray feels unused to things since his brother Charlie “kidnapped” him, he learns about what it is to be around a big world.

The movie was really good. It deserved the Oscar for Best Picture, and Dustin Hoffman deserved his second Oscar for Best Actor–his first Oscar being for “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979), which also won Best Picture.

6/10

Watch it for Hoffman’s rendition of a deaf/mute guy

seanjenson10 November 2018

Barry Levinson’s Rainman is a good but not great film and I feel its kinda overrated. It is a good, solid feature film but certainly not worthy of best picture. Furthermore with the passage of time we have seen that the autistic portrayal here is kinda skewed to put it mildly. However, having said this it is a good film featuring a great performance by Dustin Hoffman who won an Oscar for his portrayal of an autistic brother to Tom Cruise’s straight man. Regardless, this is a good watch, if for nothing else then for the fact that it won many awards.

9/10

One of the most touching stories I have seen

manel_medeiros30 October 2018

This movie is about a character who finds out late on in his adult life, that he has an older, autistic brother upon their father’s death, and how both deal with this event.

Key takeaways from the movie:

• Dustin Hoffman’s performance as Tom Cruise’s adult authistic brother is one the best I have seen. It will make you smile, cry, feel bad and even sympathize with those who come to the conclusion that they are perhaps not mature enough to deal with someone who has this condition
• Both characters are brilliantly written and you can relate to both
• The capabilities of Dustin Hoffman’s character are so well put that you actually want to pick their brain and find out what more he could be capable off
• the twist torwards the end is incredibly moving

9/10

I prefered it to Karl’s version

joeylennox11 October 2018

Warning: Spoilers

So, okay, right. Rain Man, it’s got… Tom Cruise in it, and he’s alright, he’s normal, but he finds out he’s got a brother who’s a bit mad – Dustin Hoffman is doing it, right? And he’s meant to be! He’s all weird but he’s meant to be, so it’s good acting. Now, he… oh, God, he needs to keep his brother but they don’t want him to have a brother and he doesn’t remember a lot but he dropped him in the bath and burnt him when he was little (clumsy idiot). But then he finds out he can make a bit of money so they get the same suits, and they go bet two for good, one- ’cause he’s got special powers. So he can know what the where the roulette. He wins that, and he drops some toothpicks – he knows how many there are. And he recognises the waitress, through the book. He’s got all his football cards, don’t put ’em out of order, don’t go into a telephone box with him – he smells, and get him back in time for Jeopardy or watch it. Anyway, then they slap his head and get worried, Qantas don’t crash, so he’s got..,all that, and in the end, he doesn’t, I don’t think, but they were- at least they’ve met each other. –

6/10

Good but slightly overrated

bryanf-857289 October 2018

What can I say about Rainman? Culture has bestowed enough platitudes on the film but what do I feel? Barry Levinson’s Rainman is a good but not great film. It is a good, solid feature film but certainly not worthy of best picture. Furthermore with the passage of time we have seen that the autistic portrayal here is kinda skewed to put it mildly. However, having said this it is a good film featuring a great performance by Dustin Hoffman who won an Oscar for his portrayal of an autistic brother to Tom Cruise’s straight man. Regardless, this is a good watch, if for nothing else then for the fact that it won many awards.

7/10

From two schmucks in a car to the Oscars

Jokomotaive4 October 2018

Autism is a topic rarely discussed in movies. Which is strange considering how relevant autism is now in today’s modern society. Writer Barry Morrow got inspired to write Rain Man after meeting Kim Peek (November 11, 1951 – December 19, 2009). Kim is a real life savant with an outstanding memory and is known as a “megasavant.” So the film was made and became a huge success amongst critics and audiences alike, even winning four academy awards at the 1989 academy awards. Barry Morrow, after winning the Oscar for best original screenplay, actually gave his Oscar statue to Kim Peek to carry with him. As the statue was held by more people than any other, it has since been known as the “Most Loved Oscar Statue”. Unfortunately in 2009, the 58 year old Kim Peek died of a heart attack on December 19, 2009, leaving many heartbroken. Kim Peek inspired people all over the world, with quotes like: “You don’t have to be handicapped to be different cause everybody’s different.” One could say that his legacy lives on in Rain Man, which was one of the first movies to deal with autism in a serious way.

Tom Cruise plays the young wheeler dealer Charlie Babbitt who after his father’s death, travels from his home in Hollywood to Cincinnati, Ohio to settle the estate. He learns that he is receiving his fathers old Buick Roadmaster while the $3 million estate he wants is going to an unknown trustee. He manages to get the information that the money is being directed to a mental institution. Once at the mental institution, he meets the trustee who by surprise happens to be his older brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) whom he previously never knew existed. Raymond is an autistic savant who struggles in today’s modern society and can’t understand the concept of money. Unable to get the money from Raymond or Dr. Gerald R. Bruner (Jerry Molen), Raymond’s doctor, he manages to convince Raymond to follow him back to Los Angeles, with the intention of gaining custody of his brother and get the $3 million dollar estate.

The most remarkable thing about Rain Man is the performances of Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Dustin Hoffman especially shines as the autistic savant Raymond Babbitt. He approaches the character with an utmost respect and heart. It’s a very detailed performance with a lot of nuance put in to it. Tom Cruise, though not as entirely noteworthy, still manages to pull of a good performance as the arrogant young man. They also work together really well. During the rehearsal, they swapped lines with one another and even auditioned for each other’s character during the casting period so Cruise auditioned for Raymond and vice versa. So they were pretty aware of their roles as soon as shooting began. They truly have a wonderful screen presence and the chemistry between them is something that brings a smile to your face.

Rain man can be described as a road movie. The physical journey, the one the characters experience driving through America, can serve as a metaphor for the overall development the characters go through. The further they drive, not only does Charlie gain more insight about Raymond and his condition but also about himself and his own problems. How he treats his brother, how he sees his girlfriend Susanna, played rather well by actress Valeria Golino, and how the constant hunt for money has plagued his existence. Maybe even Raymond learns a few things from his brother as they go along. The film tries to give insight into the responsibility and what it’s like dealing with autism for everyone involved at the same time it tries to serve as a critique of capitalism. Which is something it does rather well. Responsibility is a big theme in this movie and many of the conflicts that arise are because of Charlie’s lack of it.

Another important thing to note is the sharp rendering of American culture. Though it struggles with some stereotypes, the filmmakers have proven to have a great sense of story world. Letting the characters live and breathe in the film’s environment, without pulling the focus away from them, gives the sense of a world that stretches itself far beyond what we’re seeing on the screen. In a great scene featuring Charlie and Raymond driving through the quiet, empty streets of Las Vegas, they enter one of the casinos and we’re introduced to the bombastic chaos of people, flashing lights and the loud noises of the slot machines. It’s like walking into a different world!

One should also note that this was the first time Hans Zimmer worked on a Hollywood production. He was advised by director Barry Levinson, Good Morning, Vietnam, to not use strings, mainly cause he was afraid it would make the film too sentimental. The score for the film is unfortunately just fine and despite Levinson’s guidelines it actually becomes sentimental at parts. Nothing really impressive or memorable as a hole. In fact, many of the filmmaking aspects of the movie are really unremarkable.

The movie is well shot, it’s competently directed and well written but it lacks in what I would argue is one of the most important things in movies, something that unfortunately many overlook. That of presentation. For example, on a stylistic level, the film looks and feels like most of the American studio movies released since Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane. The problem with using the same formula over and over again becomes apparent in the fact that we get bored of things we become used to. If the audience gets exposed to the same techniques in every movie, the audience starts to become uninterested despite the quality of the script. The film also falls short on the emotional aspects, which is the most important thing when it comes to filmmaking or any art form for that matter. The goal of making art is not to make the audience understand it, but to feel it. Style is something every filmmaker should have of their own. In Hollywood, every filmmaker seems to have the same approach to movies. If we compare this to what Andrei Tarkovsky or Bergman did many years prior, having a unique style and original approach to the medium, Rain Man simply looks uninspired.

The movie does however stand its test of time. The honest and heartfelt look into the relationship between the two brothers and the realistic take on autism is really something to admire. It’s a feel good movie and it doesn’t fall flat in that aspect. Maybe if the filmmakers cared more about presentation I would have cared more about Rain Man, but it does in the end make up for its flaws due to its superb acting and skilled representation of American culture.

[What do you think of this movie?  Be sure to let me know in the comments!  Also, send me your review of any movie, and I’ll post it on this site.]