Rain Man (1988) * * *

 

Directed by:  Barry Levinson

Starring:  Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Barry Levinson, Gerald R. Molen, Bonnie Hunt

Rain Man's story arc follows a familiar pattern.  It is a road/buddy movie involving brothers Raymond (Hoffman), an institutionalized autistic savant, and Charlie (Cruise), an abrasive antique car dealer who learns for the first time he even has a brother after his father's death.  Charlie is mostly cut out of his estranged father's will, and is enraged to learn the bulk of the $3 million estate was left to the institution which has housed Raymond for the past twenty-plus years.  

Charlie essentially kidnaps Raymond and takes him on a cross-country trip back to L.A., where Charlie's dealership which reeks of illegality is on the verge of collapse.  He hopes to trade Raymond for at least half of the estate he feels he's owed.  Charlie's loyal girlfriend Susanna (Golino) raises objections over Charlie's treatment of Raymond, especially since Charlie has no experience caring for anyone other than himself.  Raymond is a high-functioning autistic, capable of memorizing a phone book, but unable to understand the true concept of money and is a slave to his routine.  He has to watch certain TV shows at certain times or buy his clothes at K-Mart or the disruption would send him into a tantrum.  He doesn't express emotions in conventional ways, instead he starts reciting "Who's on First?" when he is nervous or agitated. 

We know Charlie will grow to love and accept his brother, even to the point that he battles with doctors to take care of Raymond when they arrive in L.A.   They have adventures along the way, including a trip to Vegas where Charlie wins because of Raymond's ability to count cards.  But we see Raymond change as much as he's able to as well.  At first, he wouldn't be able to handle any kind of physical contact, but the more he grows to trust Charlie and Susanna, he is more open to hugs and even kisses and dancing.  Rain Man is predictable in its overall scheme, but the movie exists in the subtle moments and changes Charlie and Raymond undergo.  

Hoffman won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance and it is technically marvelous, while allowing the audience to peek into his emotions as much as he would allow.  Cruise undergoes the most observable transformation since Charlie is not autistic.  He learns to care for others for the first time in his life.  Producer Gerald R. Molen and director Barry Levinson play doctors who explain Raymond's condition to Charlie and in extension to us.  Rain Man was made at a time when autism was rare, and the movie itself breaks ground by trying to allow to understand Raymond and his feelings through Charlie's lens.