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.
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.