Rain Man (1988)
1988
R
134 Minutes
Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.
User Review
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WHAT I LIKED: The reason that Barry Levinson's 'Rain Man,' is such a great modern classic is twofold: firstly, the overall premise is pretty genius, and secondly two incredible central performances bring it all to life. Yes on the one hand this story of a car salesman learning that he has an autistic brother with a large amount of inheritance and deciding to effectively kidnap him for ransom but growing to have a relationship with him is rather fascinating, as it allows for both characters to be pushed far outside their comfort zones and be discovered and unwrapped by the audience as time goes on. This makes for an engaging character piece about the connection we have to our family members and the power of childhood memories and experiences, but it's also fairly safe to say that it wouldn't have been even half of the film that it is without Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise at the centre, as both of these versatile actors deliver truly captivating and believable performances that make the developing relationship between them feel real. As a result, you'll be engaged from start to finish, and no doubt affected by the touching and charming changes that each character goes through when traveling together in such an interesting story situation.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The scope of the film is fairly limited, but that's partly what makes it so successful.
VERDICT: An engaging character piece with a brilliant central premise, 'Rain Man,' is a great movie that's mostly buoyed by its incredible lead performances.0 member like this review.
